


All I Ask of You

by OpalSpirit



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Loki - Fandom, Norse Religion & Lore, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom, hades - Fandom
Genre: Agriculture, Alien Biology, Alien Technology, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Atticus - Freeform, Dark Magic, Disapproving Family, Enhancements, Eventual Romance, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Humans, Illusions, Infertility, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Interplanetary Travel, Jealousy, Jotunn Biology (Marvel), Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Jötnar | Jotuns | Frost Giants (Norse Religion & Lore), Lang Leav, Long-Distance Relationship, Longing, Michael Faudet, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Nature Magic, Negotiations, Pantheon Crossovers, Physical Disability, Pomegranates, Possessive Behavior, Protective Loki, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Seasons, Stolen Moments, Strained Relationships, Trade Deals, beau taplin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-01-26 04:09:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21367951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OpalSpirit/pseuds/OpalSpirit
Summary: A trade deal, a successful negotiation, that was what her father was known for. He dealt with alien communities that would help their galaxy. His agency, Olympus Outreach, handled such situations with ease. Yet it is this organisation, Tartarus Inc. that proves to be a thorn in their side. Or is it perhaps their leader, one Lord Loki, who drives a harder bargain that most?That is, until he sees her and demands but one condition upon which to settle this agreement. She is to be his wife.It is her mother, the head of Demeter AgriCorp, a galaxy-wide organisation, that throws a wrench into the plan. She demands that her daughter remain with her for half the year.Being raised in the light and among nature, will she adapt to the shadows of her new home? Will she learn to see through the eyes of her heart and see the beauty offered by the dark?
Relationships: Loki/Reader
Comments: 21
Kudos: 164





	1. A bargain harder than most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were a risk, a mystery, and the most certain thing I'd ever known. 
> 
> ~ Beau Taplin (A Certainty)

"Sir? There is an incoming signal from _The Underworld."_

"Send it through."

Within moments the sleek interior of the aforementioned ship filled the viewscreen. Not long after, the elegantly angular features of the ship's Captain came into view. He did not smile at the small audience before him, his glittering emerald eyes were solely focused on one individual.

"I must thank you for responding to our transmission, my lord," one man spoke up. He stood apart from the crowd as one who was evidently in charge.

The emerald-eyed man nodded in polite acknowledgment before speaking. "Niod-Zesu, I believe?"

The man nodded, "indeed, my lord."

"Word of your agency and its works has spread far and wide, even beyond the bounds of your galaxy."

Niod-Zesu fought the urge to smile, Olympus Outreach had indeed grown beyond his wildest expectations. "Thank you, my lord."

The young Lord waved the comment away with a fine-boned hand. "To business. I have been made aware that your agency seeks to broker a deal with my organisation."

Niod nodded. "Yes, my lord. That is true."

"What do you believe, exactly, would the mutual benefit be?" He asked, green eyes surveying those that stood watching. "What has lead you to believe that an alliance with my organisation would be beneficial to this galaxy in particular?"

It was silent for a moment as Niod contemplated the right words to convey this deal. It had taken him nigh on a year to come this far, Tartarus Inc. was at the forefront of medical and non-medical enhancements. There were many agencies out there that no doubt wished for a deal much like the one he was planning on pitching.

"You and your organisation help to improve people's lives, even extend them in some cases," Niod began. "And ours is not the only galaxy out there. Yet we are in desperate need of assistance that only Tartarus Inc. is able to provide. Our military in particular."

The dark haired Lord leaned back in the Captain's chair. He folded his hands before him, almost patiently. _Almost._ "And you believe that I can help you? I may come from a militaristic race, one who thrives on war and death, but I do not condone those ideals." He spoke much too calmly for the impatience that flickered in his eyes. "My organisation was founded to assist those that would otherwise fall to the wayside, be underfoot to society. We do not aid in the creation of conflict."

"Conflict, my lord?" Niod asked, confused. "Are we not at peace?"

"At present we are," the young Lord confirmed with a subtle nod. "But what should happen were your star systems to find out that the military is receiving genetic as well as external enhancements?"

Niod swallowed hard and prayed for patience. Lord Loki was known for his stubbornness. "Surely you have heard the rumours, my lord?"

"Rumours?"

"Indeed. There are those who wish to leave the Gallactic Alliance. Those that believe each of us should exist separately and not feel obliged to share our resources with the neighbouring galaxies." After a pause, Niod continued. "There are those that wish to end the alliance all together."

"Why should I be bothered by a simple uprising? I am tied to nothing and no one, why should I care about something such as this?"

"Because there is no doubt that there are those that would wish for you as an ally."

"Is that not what you are asking of me?" He asked, leaning forward, green eyes sharp and focused. "To provide you with the upper hand?"

"We simply wish to keep the peace," Niod sighed. "And once both parties have held up their end of the deal, we will hold you down no longer and you need never worry about hearing from us ever again."

Silence settled over the group. A silence that could be mistaken for affirmation.

"Then I have only one condition."

Niod perked up and fought the urge to sigh with relief. "Only one, my lord?" He could hardly believe his good fortune.

Emerald eyes narrowed. "Do not test me."

"I apologise, my lord," Niod replied, bowing. "What is your condition?"

"Parsi."

Niod firmly believed he had misheard. "I am sorry?"

"I do believe you heard me quite clearly," Lord Loki replied, smiling slightly. "Your daughter, nicknamed Parsi, full name Y/N."

"What has she to do with anything?" Niod asked, voice trembling at the edges. How did this alien Lord know such an intimate detail of his only child?

"Oh I think you know."

Dread washed through him and fear threatened to drown him. "She is your condition?"

Loki nodded with all the grace of a Prince. "Indeed she is."

"May I ask why, my lord?"

He shrugged. "All my life I have kept no one's company but my own. It is time for me to share it with another."

Niod knew full-well what was being implied here. "You wish to wed her? Make her your wife?" His voice had dropped to a mere whisper.

"If that is what you wish to call it, then yes. I do."

"And if I were to refuse?" Niod asked, fearful of the answer.

"Then this agreement between the two of us will never take place."

Never before had he been faced with a decision such as this. He desperately needed this deal to go through. Yet, at the same time, he loved his daughter beyond words and would do anything to see her safe. Her mother would be against such an arrangement, that he knew for sure. "You drive a hard bargain, my lord."

"I simply know what I want," came the reply, "do you?"

"I want her safe."

"She will be," Loki replied. "At my side, she will be the safest of you all."

"You can guarantee that, my lord?" Niod asked, mentally having made his decision.

The alien Lord nodded and moved to stand. "Do we have an agreement?"

Niod sighed before answering. "Yes, my lord. We do."

"Excellent," was the reply. "I shall come personally to oversee the arrangements and to, of course, collect what is owed."

With those words, the screen went dark. Silence reigned as the team looked to their leader. He looked positively wretched. They were all too aware of what had just transpired. In exchange for continued peace, an innocent life had been offered to one of the darkest souls in the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Parsi" is taken from the name "Persephone."


	2. A life forever changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was one of the rare ones, so effortlessly herself, and the world loved her for it. 
> 
> ~ Atticus

"That's it," she murmured to the young girl beside her. "Gently encourage it." Soft wisps of magic curled from the girl's hands and surrounded the small seedling before them. "Remember, they must grow on their own, we cannot do the growing for them." 

A small nod from the girl was all she got. Smiling to herself, Y/N stood and gently patted the girl's amber hair.

Brushing off any soil from her dress, she made her way through the greenhouse. It was the largest in her mother's enterprise. A collection of them was spread across the galaxy, yet this one was by far the grandest. It was her favourite place to be, despite having traveled with her mother to so many different worlds.

Absently trailing her fingers along the plants, she smiled as she traversed the pebbled pathways. Light from the planet's twin suns shone through the stained glass roof and filtered through the leaves of the trees that brushed the crystalline ceiling. The soft tinkling of the windchimes drew a contented sigh from her. This was home for her. This was where she belonged.

Eventually stopping by a patch of lilacs, she reached out and gently plucked one. Twirling it, she brushed it lightly against her cheek before continuing on her walk. The floral silk of her gown danced over the pebbles as she walked, rippling like water as she moved.

Coming at last to one of the many entrances, she gently pushed the door open and stepped out into the cool air of the late morning. Her h/c h/l hair was loose that day, allowing the breeze to play with the strands.

"Good morning Y/N." The greetings floated to her as she made her way, not up to the main house, but down towards the market in the town square. She smiled brightly and returned the greeting.

Though inclined towards pretty trinkets and suncatching crystals, Y/N was headed somewhere else that day. Her smile brightened upon seeing the vibrant display put forth by the town's main flower seller. The display itself reminded Y/N of one of her mother's gardens, wild and so very beautiful. Diverse in colour and perfume, she struggled to pick out just one favourite.

"Can't make up your mind?" Herelion teased. His was a tall broad shouldered man with snow-white hair despite his age being close to her own. A closely cropped beard dusted his chin and reminded Y/N sometimes of white thistle. His cerulean eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Oh hush you," Y/N muttered, a smile already tugging at the corners of her mouth. Rolling her eyes, she tried once more to pick out just one specimen.

"Might I suggest the apple blossom?"

Y/N furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar voice. Looking up to Herelion, she saw that he stood as still as a statue, staring wide eyed at something behind her. "Herelion?" She asked, confused. "What is it?"

"I think you mean_ who?"_

A shiver ran the length of her spine at the sound of that smooth voice. She felt as though she should know it. Licking her lips and swallowing, she turned to where her friend was openly staring.

She gasped softly. She had seen this man before, although never in person. She was more than familiar with his likeness. With his raven black hair that lightly brushed his slender, yet strong shoulders. With his skin, so pale that it appeared almost a light blue. With his eyes that bore no white like hers did. Black surrounded glittering emerald irises that regarded her now. He towered above her, above everyone it seemed. The black of his attire contrasted rather harshly with his pale complexion. Although, as the sun shone, patches of green emerged briefly before disappearing again as though they were never there.

"I take it by your rather stunned expression," he commented, wry amusement colouring the words, "that you know who I am?"

Y/N nodded. "I think everyone does, my lord."

Her words rang true. All around them the once bustling market had gone silent as they stared at the well-known newcomer. He stood out, clashing with his surrounds.

"I do not wish to seem rude, my lord," she said, "but why are you here? I did not think such a place would interest you."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Indeed. You are correct _k__ore_, but this is no simple leisure visit."

Y/N frowned at the name before clearing her features into a polite smile. "Are you here to speak with my mother?"

"Your mother?"

She nodded. "Scere is her name. Most dignitaries that visit this town always wish to speak with her."

"No _kore_," he replied, "I have not come to speak with her. I have come to do business."

"With who?"

His green gaze pinned her to the spot. "You."

"Me?"

"Actually your father," he explained, "you are an aspect of it."

"How so?" Y/N asked, eyes narrowing as she regarded him with caution.

"Your father wished to broker a deal with my organisation and I gave him one condition. You."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not once did she believe her father to be capable of something such as this. "He _traded _me?" She whispered, horrified, a sense of betrayal seeping into her.

"In a manner of speaking," he replied. "He was, admittedly, rather reluctant to go through with it."

"Not reluctant enough," she hissed, seething. Her eyes, narrowed into slits, glared up at the man before her. "Of what importance am I to you? Why ask for me?" Her curiosity was genuine.

"I have spent most of my life alone. It is time I shared it with another."

"I beg your pardon?" She must have misheard him, surely she had. "You wish to marry me?"

He nodded. "With your father's permission, you and I are now affianced."

_"Engaged?" _She all but shrieked. "And when is this wedding supposed to occur?" She demanded.

"Today," he informed her. "Aboard my ship, _The Underworld."_

Taking a series of shuddering breaths, she tried and failed to calm herself. She had heard stories of that ship. The infamous vessel of Lord Loki. The very same Lord that now stood before her, offering a gloved hand.

"I don't have choice, do I?" She whispered, sounding much like a young girl, rather than a grown woman.

He shook his head and smiled as gently as he could. "I am afraid not. Come _kore, __The Underworld _awaits."

Her heart in her throat and her hand violently shaking, she reached out and rested it against his. She should be fighting this, resisting and struggling. Yet, deep in her own heart, she knew it would only delay the inevitable. A sense of resignation flared up alongside the betrayal of her father.

The last thing she saw was Herelion's horrified expression as she took the hand offered to her by this alien Lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kore" is the name the ancient Greeks used before they called her "Persephone."  
It means "maiden."


	3. The Underworld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're beautiful." I said, all breathy and nervous. "You could be standing in the centre of a star and still be all I see."
> 
> ~ Beau Taplin (To Put It Simply)

"Good to have you back my Lord."

It was those words that brought Y/N out of the haze she had fallen into. Blinking, she became dimly aware of a gentle pressure on the small of her back. It was a hand. The hand of the man that stood beside her. The man that was now speaking to a dark-haired woman that had only just addressed him. She heard little of their conversation. Her mind struggled to make sense of all that had happened in the last two hours. Her life, as she had known it, had been turned in on itself.

"_Kore?" _

Snapping back to the present, she looked up at him.

Now that he had her attention, he wasted no time in introducing her to the woman before them. "_Kore,_ this is Minthe. My trusted advisor and treasurer."

Y/N smiled politely. The woman was stunning to say the least. Obsidian hair was styled to perfection and flowed over her shoulders like spilled ink. Curious gem-like eyes regarded her and made her feel a little more exposed than she liked to be. Supple olive-toned skin was stretched over sharp-cut cheekbones and the fine bones of her figure. "A pleasure to meet you," she said, surprised at the steadiness of her voice.

The woman, Minthe, nodded. "The very same to you, my Lady."

"Before you go," Loki said, holding up a hand to stop a departing Minthe. "I require your presence in the meeting room in three hours."

"Of course, my Lord," Minthe replied, bowing, a small smile playing at her lips. "Do you wish for me to bring over last cycle's accounts?"

The young Lord shook his head. "No. That will not be necessary. I simply need you to officiate something for me."

Any hint of a smile disappeared from her features. "Officiate, my Lord?"

"Indeed," he confirmed and glanced down at the young woman beside him. "It is a requirement for any legal marriage. And since I am unable to, I would like you to do it."

Minthe looked at the young woman with new eyes. She was to be his _wife? _Grinding her teeth, she forced a smile. "Of course, my Lord. I will be there."

"Excellent," Loki replied, "and as for the witness, bring Mr.Matri with you."

"The navigator?"

Loki nodded. "Precisely."

Taking the words as the dismissal they were, Minthe turned on her heels and left, her heels clicking against the polished floor of the ship's interior.

"Come, my dear," Loki said, offering a hand, "there is much to be done before the ceremony."

_'Indeed,'_ she thought to herself, taking his hand.

She said nothing as they made their way through the twisting halls and passageways of _The Underworld._ Her mind went to her mother, did she know of this? Had her father spoken with her? Would she ever see them again?

"Are you quite alright, my dear?"

His words drew her from her thoughts, She looked to him, confusion clear in her e/c eyes. _'Aside from the obvious?' _She desperately wanted to say.

In answer he smiled slightly and glanced briefly downwards, as though to illustrate a point. "You are limping, dear one. Are you hurt?"

His words brought a rush of colour to her cheeks as she shook her head. "No, my Lord. It is an old injury that never quite healed the way it was meant to."

Loki regarded her with no small amount of curiosity. It was obvious that any talk on the topic was uncomfortable for her. Nevertheless, he would offer it to her, it was after all, what his organisation was known for. "Would you like my medics to take a look?" He asked gently. "They have been known to heal even the oldest of injuries."

Something akin to horror flashed through her eyes, fear following close behind. In an instant they were gone. "No, thank you my Lord. That is most kind of you to offer, but it will not be necessary."

The rushed and hurried delivery of her response was not lost on him. Surely she didn't believe the rumours that had been spread about him and his organisation? Or was it something else entirely?

"Allow me to escort you to our chambers, I have acquired maids who will help you prepare for the ceremony."

Her words lost to her, Y/N swallowed hard. His words painted her new reality in a rather daunting light. She knew what was required of a married woman, her mother had explained it to her at length, electing to include every little detail.

"There is nothing to fear, my heart." Loki assured her, gently squeezing the hand he held. "Tis but a simple binding ceremony."

Y/N nodded and elected to remain silent. In truth she was terrified, her future was all but sealed and she was to spend the rest of her days with a man she had been told all her life to avoid. She followed him quietly.

At last they came to a halt before a striking pair of mahogany doors. They struck Y/N as being a tad out of place with the rest of the ship's black stone and metal interior. With a firm grip on the polished handle, her fiance opened the doors.

A soft gasp left her lips upon seeing the suite of rooms beyond. Her fear left her and was soon overshadowed by curiosity. Windows that reached from floor to ceiling made up the far wall and allowed her a fair view of her home-planet that orbitted far below them. And beyond that? The distant sparkle of countless stars. Her eyes and attention quickly moved to the remainder of the room.

Y/N was sure that she had never seen something so regal. It was fit for a King. Her home, the manor and estate she had grown up on, seemed diminished in comparison. The covers on the bed were a deep green, run through with gold. Absently running her hand over the sumptuous fabric, she sighed. The bed itself appeared to be carved out of obsidian and reminded her of the sky at night. A night with no moon or stars.

Loki watched with mild amusement as she hesitantly explored the rooms. Her limp bothered him despite her assurances that it was merely an old injury and no longer bothered her. He paled at the thought of what could possibly have occurred for her to gain something so prominent.

"Oh," she said softly, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"What is it?" He asked, coming to stand beside her. His question was answered almost the moment he asked it. She was not marveling at the stars, oh no. Her gaze seemed fixed upon an arrangement that stood on a table before her.

Directing his attention to where hers was, he fought a smile. "Have you tasted one before?"

Y/N shook her head. "No," she whispered.

"Would you like to?"

In answer, she nodded shyly. "Yes please."

"So polite," Loki murmured to himself before reaching out and taking one half of the fruit and offering it to her. He might have laughed at the look of confusion in her e/c eyes. "You eat the seeds, dear heart."

Taking the fruit from him, she gingerly plucked a ruby seed from the fruit and ate it. Not a moment later, a small smile curved her lips.

"Is it to your liking?"

She nodded. "It most certainly is. What is it called?"

Now it was his turn to be confused. "You do not know?"

Y/N shook her head and plucked another seed before eating it. "I have seen it before, yet I do not know its name. My mother would never tell me."

"Interesting," he muttered before answering her. "It is called a Pomegranate."

"Pomegranate," she softly repeated the name to herself.

"Why did your mother never tell you?" Loki asked, genuinely curious.

Y/N shrugged, continuing to eat the small seeds. "In all honesty? I do not know. Every time I asked she would simply avoid the question and speak of something else. Something entirely unrelated."

Humming thoughtfully, Loki made to speak when a soft series of knocks on the doors interrupted him. "Enter."

A group of four filed into the room. _'Tova', _Y/N thought to herself. She had been to their native Tovaine only once before. Enchanting creatures they were, with hair resembling a sunset and with skin that varied from a deep purple to an indigo. She had learnt that each bore a birthmark in the shape of silvery constellations. Soon she found herself smiling at the women.

"Excellent," Loki said, gesturing for Y/N to follow him as he moved towards the four. "Now, my dear," he said, turning to Y/N. "They will help you prepare."

She found herself nodding, her fascinated gaze trained on the four women.

Chuckling softly, Loki swept from the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"My Lady," they said in unison, bobbing into a curtsy.

"Hello," she said softly, feeling a rush of shyness. A feeling that confused her, for she had grown up amongst servants and maids.

"What shall we start with my Lady?" One of them asked, the one with ruby eyes that appeared to be flecked with gold.

This momentarily confused Y/N. "I'm sorry?"

The one who had spoken smiled kindly. "We have been sent to help you prepare for the ceremony," she proceeded to explain. "Would you like to see the gown first? Or shall we begin with your hair and any make-up you may need?"

"Oh," she replied, feeling foolish. "I suppose I should like to see the gown, if that is at all possible?"

The four smiled at each other. One of them drew what appeared to be a garment bag out from behind her back. From within it she withdrew the most beautiful white gown Y/N had ever seen. It was beautiful in its simplicity. Reaching out with trembling fingers, Y/N gently traced the patterns of the jeweled belt and shoulder clasps.

"Does her Ladyship approve?"

Y/N nodded and smiled. "I most certainly do."

Perhaps it was the crushing reality of the situation that prevented Y/N from speaking while they styled her hair and lightly painted her face. She took deep breaths to calm herself as she was fitted with the gown and accompanying veil.

Moments later, she stood before the four maids, arrayed in the purest white.

"Would you like us to fetch a mirror, my Lady?"

Immediately she shook her head. "No. Thank you. I do not believe it is necessary." In truth, she was curious as to how she looked, but she would not risk it. The chances were much too high.

"Here we are, my Lady," the one with gold in her eyes said, passing a bouquet to Y/N.

She accepted it with trembling hands. Looking down, she felt her eyes widen in surprise. Peonies. The rarest of her mother's flowers and her personal favourite. How Loki would know such a thing was well beyond her.

"Come, my Lady. I do believe it is almost time."

It was those words that made her knees threatened to give out. This was seriously happening! Just yesterday she was happily bumbling about, helping a few of her mother's proteges, now she was getting married! Life really was fond of throwing curve balls her way it seemed.

Silently she followed the four maids from the rooms, her veil flowing out behind her. She thanked the stars that she did not trip over the hem of her gown as they made they way down numerous passageways and up a number of flights of stairs.

It was only when they reached a set of steel doors that the four maids stopped and stepped aside. "Just through there, my Lady," another spoke, her eyes pure gold. "His Lordship will be waiting."

Y/N nodded stiffly and lifted her chin. She had to appear strong, confident. No matter how terrified she was inside. The doors opened as though sensing her presence and closed silently behind her.

Swallowing discretely, she focused her eyes forward and soon found herself clutching at the bouquet in her hands. Despite her reservations about the man, she would not deny that he looked striking in what appeared to be his ceremonial attire. Black silk that appeared green if the light shone on it just right. His unnervingly hypnotising eyes watched her every step as she moved towards him.

In an effort to distract herself, she was surprised to find that the woman he had said was his treasurer was there too, as was another gentleman. Short and stocky, he appeared to be human.

Cursing her limp, Y/N made her way towards Loki. Letting go of the flowers with one hand, she accepted his extended one.

Wasting no time, the dark haired woman, Minthe if Y/N remembered correctly, began to speak. Her tone and voice were clipped and far from what Y/N had heard upon her arrival.

"Let all those present here today bare witness to this union." Here Minthe paused and looked meaningfully between Y/N and Loki. "This union between Lord Loki Odinson and Y/N."

Desperately as she might try, Y/N could not calm the racing of her heart. She was sure he would feel her hand grow clammy.

"Do you, Loki, son of Odin and Frigga, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" To Y/N's ears it sounded as though Minthe was forcing herself to say the words and hating every syllable. "To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer? Till death do you part?"

The smile he graced her with was unlike any Y/N had ever been given. It was a small one, subtle even, but it was certainly there. "I do," he replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

"And do you," Minthe turned to Y/N. "Y/N, daughter of Niod-Zesu and Scere, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer? Till death do you part?"

The silence that followed was heavier than a ton of solid marble. It was pregnant with caution as she hesitated in her response. Willing her composure to remain for just a little while longer, she lifted her chin and took a deep trembling breath. This was it. "I do."

Y/N swore, that in that moment, Loki looked tremendously relieved.

"And do you, Mr. Hevlar Matri, navigator of _The Underworld_, bear due and coherent witness to this union?"

The man in question nodded. "I certainly do."

If Y/N had believed Minthe to be uncomfortable before, she was positively uneasy now. "Might you have the rings, my Lord?" She looked as though she was hoping he didn't.

Loki, however, nodded and produced two golden bands, giving them to Minthe.

"If the both of you will please grasp hands in the manner required?"

The grip Loki had on her hand shifted so as to accommodate the request. Their ring fingers now rested against each other, slightly parting as Minthe slipped on the golden bands.

Y/N gasped in surprise when she felt a slight burn. Looking down, she saw the rings brand themselves into their respective fingers.

"By this brand you are united," Minthe continued. "By this brand you are made one. A union once made cannot be undone."

With those words, Y/N felt the door close on her old life. It was the gentle pressure of his lips on her knuckles that opened the door to the life that was now hers. In his eyes she saw a silent promise, one that she fervently wished for him to keep.


	4. The song of the siren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm obsessed with you. Utterly, willingly and wonderfully so.
> 
> ~ Michael Faudet

"You had better have a brilliant explanation for this."

Servants scurried away to make themselves scarce as Scere, founder and CEO of Demeter AgriCorp, stormed into the manor. She had been informed that her husband was at the estate, almost at the same time she found her daughter to be missing. No, not missing, _abducted_.

"What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" Niod asked, a little too calmly for everything to be as it should.

"Only the fact that that _creature_," she spat the word with no small amount of venom. "Said as much. That our daughter was merely some part of a business transaction between the two of you."

Niod sighed and ran a hand down his face. He should have known that she would find out eventually.

"I want her back. I want her back this very instant." Scere demanded, her voice dropping dangerously low. "I want her away from him."

Only silence came from her husband.

"Did you not hear me?" Scere asked, voice strangely calm. "I want her back. _Now."_

"That may be a little difficult to arrange," Niod said at last. 

Folding her arms, Scere cocked her head to the side and waited with mock patience. "Dare I ask why?"

"Well," Niod began, looking anywhere but at his fuming wife. "Let me give you some perspective first-"

"No," Scere cut him off, her impatience leeching through. "I don't want perspective. I want my daughter. Now, why don't you tell me why it would be difficult?"

"As you know, she was part of a business transaction," Niod cringed internally as he repeated his wife's rather clinical terminology.

Scere said nothing, merely motioned for him to continue.

"Although, I was rather reluctant."

"You were reluctant were you?" Scere repeated, clearly not believing a word. "Yes, you look positively torn. I am so sorry."

Niod glared at his wife. "Do you honestly believe it was easy for me? Giving our only child away to someone like him? That I _wanted _too?"

Scere sneered, her lips contorting. "You didn't even _try _to offer anything else?"

"How could I?" Niod retorted, beginning to see red. "When he specifically asked for her?"

"Oh, I don't know," Scere shot back, "negotiate with him? That is what you do after all? Or am I mistaken?"

Niod ground his teeth and clenched his jaw as he fought for patience. Scere's reaction was, after all, understandable. "He is known for his stubbornness," he explained softly.

"And what? You didn't even bother?" Scere could not keep the horror from her voice.

A beat of silence passed before she spoke again, her voice a trembling whisper. "Just what deal went through for him to ask such a thing?"

"The one I have been drafting for nigh on five years, all with different companies and organisations," Niod replied, knowing full-well that his wife would put two and two together.

"Please do not tell me," Scere said softly, taking deep heaving breaths. "That you traded her, our only child, our daughter, for some military improvements?"

And there it was. Niod knew it. It sounded so harsh and cold when said like that.

She took his silence as confirmation. "You _know _what he is," she hissed. "You know and yet you agreed anyway. You know _who _he is and you still went through with it." A broken sob tore from her lips, bringing on a rush of tears. "How could you?" She whimpered, "how could you?"

"I had no choice," he knew it was a pathetic excuse, but it was all he had.

Scere regarded him with the utmost disgust. "There is always a choice," she said, glaring at him through her tears. "And you chose the galaxy over _your own daughter!" _The last words were shrieked, a sound so filled with pain.

The windows shattered around them, showering them in fine crystalline shards. In seconds the floor of the entrance hall was covered in a fine layering of glass.

"You will get her back," she growled, pointing a trembling finger mere inches from his nose. "You will get her back or so help me, I will make your life a misery."

"I cannot do that."

"Why?" Scere hissed, her fuschia eyes narrowing into slits. "You will tell me here and now."

"Because she is his wife."

Scere honestly believed she had misheard. She prayed she had. "She is his what?" She whispered, an edge to her soft voice.

"Wife," Niod repeated, his gaze fixated on the shattered glass.

"Are you telling me that you not only traded her," Scere seethed, "but you married her off too? _To him?!"_

Niod could only nod.

"And how long has she been his wife for?" She demanded, breathing heavily through her nose.

"A few hours, at least," Niod admitted, feeling the need to cower under the weight of his wife's murderous gaze.

"Well then," Scere said with forced calmness, her fury still clearly simmering beneath the surface. "You had best hope that there have been no," she paused, seemingly disgusted by the very notion, "_relations_ between them. That, is your only hope."

"And if there have?"

Scere grimaced. "Then may all the gods have mercy upon you, for I most certainly shall not." With those words, she swept from the manor, leaving a trail of rainbows in her wake, the late afternoon sun shining on the splintered glass.

~ ~ ~

She looked positively ethereal as she lay beside him. Her beautiful eyes were closed to him as she slept, her head resting on his shoulder. Smiling softly, Loki reached down and gently swept back a lock of hair that had fallen across her face.

Her chest rose and fell in the steady rhythm of an exhausted sleep. Her previously blushed skin had receded back to its natural tone and had cooled even as he had cocooned her beneath the blankets and in his arms.

Loki soon felt his smile widen. She had been so shy at the beginning, admitting to him in a soft voice that he was her first. It had taken some time, but at last he had been able to coax her into a state of unbridled bliss, her eyes widening at the sensations he brought to life. He had been so very gentle with her and would be so again, lest she wished otherwise.

Her shyness had dissolved into sighs of ecstasy, her head flung back as she whimpered his name and whispered it in the most siren of voices. Her eyes, so innocent before, had been positively beguiling as she had looked up at him. The pupils blown wide and beautiful.

They had moved so well together, fit together so perfectly. She was a siren of the stars, calling him forever to her. She was his and he was hers.

Bending ever so slightly, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Sleep well, my Queen. My love."


	5. Accidental discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I pretend to fit in but I rarely do.
> 
> ~ Atticus

It was dark as she had expected it to be. Dark stone and metal, cold and unfriendly. Shivering despite the thick gown she wore, Y/N trailed like a shadow through _The Underworld_'s corridors. Her hesitant, yet curious steps echoed softly as she explored the vastness of her husband's ship. _Husband, _she halted at the thought and sighed heavily. That would certainly take some getting used too.

What struck her the most was how quiet it was. She had passed not a single soul in the dark looming passageways. The hum of the ships engines was practically nonexistent. Loki was not on board, he was down on the planet below, finalising the deal struck with her father.

Each door she passed was locked tight, try as she might to enter them. Never had she felt so small, the ship felt like a world of its own. A world of spiraling staircases and arching ceilings.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Y/N took a turn to the left and saw a much smaller corridor. It looked to be carved from the stone that the interior seemed built from. The curve of it intrigued her, as did the intricate carvings that became clearer the closer she moved.

Standing beneath it, she looked up and gasped softly. The carvings were of vines, snaking around what looked to be like the bowed trunk of a tree. The details were incredible, right down to the notches in the wood. Reaching out, she hesitantly touched what parts she could reach. The feel of the cold stone broke the spell. Her fingers traced the fine lines and swirling curves, admiring them with a small smile.

Her mind began to travel to what might lie beyond the carved arch. Looking quickly over her shoulder to the empty hallway, she stepped through. The corridor was much like the others, only smaller and not as wide. She was a fair way in when they started appearing. Torches with golden flames that sat in cast iron sconces. Their warm light made her smile and wonder to where this passage might lead. For there had been no doors, no adjoining stairwells.

Y/N stopped short when she first heard it. The sound trailing gooseflesh over her arms and shivers down her back. It was an eerie sound, almost a little haunting. A cry of sorts. Her curiosity piqued, Y/N hurried towards the sound. It was the first sign of life she had come across in her self-imposed tour.

Hiking up her skirts, she began to run, mumbling curses under her breath at her uneven gait. It slowed her down and always threatened to trip her up even on flat surfaces. The cries became louder as she continued, they spurred her on. The torches casting her shadows flickering against the black walls.

She noticed too late that the ground was beginning to slope downwards in a spiral. With a muffled curse, she went tumbling. Her gown tangled around her legs as she struggled to right herself. Leaning heavily against the stone wall, she looked around. Just how far down did that slope go? The sheer size of the ship was beginning to terrify her.

Smoothing her hair, she observed her surrounds. The torches were still there, but it had gone strangely silent. Swallowing hard, Y/N cast her eyes into the shadows by the far wall. A faint shimmer caught her eye.

Stepping hesitantly closer, Y/N peered into the darkness. That's when she heard it, the scratching and scraping of a creature moving. Her heart hammering in her chest, she edged forward. A hiss made her stop short. It was not the chilling hiss of a snake, though certainly a reptile of some kind. Snagging a torch, she clutched it and held it in front of her.

Three pairs of reptilian eyes emerged from the dark. Strangely, they reminded her of sapphires. So much so, that she reached out with a trembling hand towards them. This gesture of hers brought about movement from the creature. Moving into the light, the creature moved, clearly curious.

Y/N gasped softly. The creature towered above her. Its opalescent scales gleaming in the flickering torchlight. She stood frozen as it approached her. She had never seen anything like it before. Her eyes widened as the three heads lowered until they were level with her.

"What are you?" She whispered, awestruck.

As though in answer, the creature moved its heads, their scales catching in the light. But something else caught her attention. There, at the very centre of their foreheads glistened a jewel-like oval colouration. Now she knew, it had been made clear to her. These creatures were rare indeed, stuff of myths and bedtime stories. "A Cerberus serpent," she said, wonder filling her words.

It was then that the serpent moved, its four legs helping to move its gigantic body to the side. Revealing something to her. A door. Simple and carved out of wood. It stretched high above her as she approached it. Narrowing her eyes, she made out two words. Words carved into the wood in an elegant script and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Y/N found herself smiling softly as she murmured the words. "_Eiríni. Iremía." _The hand that did not hold the torch reached out and traced them, their meaning not lost on her.

Licking her dry lips, Y/N set the torch to the side and braced her hands on the door. Looking briefly over her shoulder at the serpent, she saw it give her a subtle nod, as though giving permission.

Setting her jaw with determination, Y/N pushed. The doors swung silently open.

Y/N did not know what she had been expecting to find. But what she saw took her breath away. She stood at the entrance to what appeared to be a cavern of sorts. It was enormous. Her attention was immediately drawn to the light that streamed in from a hole above. The light reminded her of sunlight, its warmth. Yet she knew that it was not, for how could sunlight come into a place such as this?

A splash of colour caught her eye. There stood a tree. A single solitary tree. Its gnarled and twisted trunk supported branches laden with magenta blossoms. The tree itself stood at the edge of what appeared to be a stone pathway, water circling it in a moon shape.

As though in a trance, Y/N moved forward. She padded softly over the cold stone towards the tree, whose blossoms she now recalled to be magnolias. She paused then, and moved to stand at the water's edge. There, below her, she saw an image of herself reflected back up at her. Flinching, she turned away, feeling the familiar tears and self-loathing well up. Stumbling back, she leaned against the tree, her trembling hands moving to trace her jaw-line. Drawing her hands away, a look of confusion entered her eyes. Looking down, she saw that everything was as it should be.

Then why in the water? Why had she seen _that? _

Turning her attention to the tree, she smiled. Her mother grew magnolias at intervals on the estate grounds, their large blooms never failing to fascinate Y/N. She sighed softly as she looked around. Why would Loki have something like this? What was the significance of such a space? Was the light his creation? There were stories that painted him as a highly skilled sorcerer.

Y/N thought back to the words carved onto the door. Maybe this was his retreat from the chaos outside and what had she done? She had pried into something that she felt as though she should not have seen, at least not by accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiríni = Peace  
Iremía = Calm
> 
> Both translated from Greek.


	6. To compromise on happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a frightening thought, that in one fraction of a moment you can fall in the kind of love that takes a lifetime to get over. 
> 
> ~ Beau Taplin (One Fraction Of A Moment)

_The first time he had seen her like that he knew it had been a mistake. It had been purely on accident and yet the look in her eyes made any apology turn to dust. Never before had he seen someone look so vulnerable, so fearful of what his reaction might be. She had tried to leave then, disappear. _

_"Wait," he had called softly to her retreating figure. _

_She did not turn around, not at first. A breath of silence passed before she did. Lifting her chin, she met his piercingly blue gaze with her own. _

_Blinking to make sure he wasn't imagining things, he smiled softly. "You are Scere's daughter, aren't you?"_

_She nodded. "Indeed I am, good sir." _

_Extending a hand, he introduced himself. "Herelion. I live in the town below."_

_"A pleasure to meet you Herelion," she replied, taking his hand in a firm grip. "My name is Y/N, although my family calls me Parsi."_

_He regarded her with confusion. Why impart such a personal detail to someone she had just met?_

_She laughed softly, the sound dancing through the air. "I suppose you are wondering why I would tell you such a thing?"_

_He nodded. "I am a little confused, yes." _

_"Your confusion is understandable," she replied, gesturing for him to walk beside her. "Allow me to explain. What you saw is known only to myself and my parents. It is a closely guarded secret of mine. I told you the familial nickname given me because I feel as though I can trust you," here she paused and turned to face him fully. "Tell me, Herelion. Is my trust misplaced?" _

_Herelion shook his head before answering. "No. It is not."_

_Once more she graced him with a smile and they continued walking. "I am most grateful for your discretion. This is not something I wish to be public knowledge." _

_"I understand."_

_She hummed in approval, running her hands gently along the plants they passed. "You said you are from the town below?"_

_"Yes," he replied. "I took my father's business when he passed away."_

_"And what business is that?" Y/N asked, her curiosity shining through. _

_"Flower farming."_

_This made her smile wider than she had in a while. "Oh my stars! How wonderful."_

_Herelion smiled in return. "I am glad you think so. It is our family's pride." _

_"I can imagine," she whispered, eyes going distant before snapping back. "Would you allow me to come and visit?"_

_Her request startled him. Nevertheless, he nodded. "I would be honoured. Your mother was a great friend of my father's, even taught him a few things to help with the flowers."_

_Y/N smiled wistfully. "Yes, that does sound like her." _

_"Forgive me," he began, "but might I ask you a personal question? You need not answer if you do not wish too."_

_"There is nothing to forgive," she replied, laying a gentle hand on his forearm. "You have seen me as not many others have. Ask your question and I shall answer as best I can."_

_"Your mother's magic, do you have it too?"_

_His words made her smile sadly. "In a way," she murmured. "My mother has what is known as natural magic. Magic that helps the natural world. She has taught me many things, for this magic is not genetic, it must be taught." _

_"Is there genetic magic?"_

_Y/N nodded. "There is. But it is quite rare and not often seen."_

_They continued to walk in silence until they came to the outskirts of the estate. The gate loomed before them in an intricate weave of iron. _

_"Perhaps your magic might aid whatever injury is causing you to limp so," Herelion suggested, worry clear in his eyes. "Why did you not tell me you were hurt?"_

_"Because I am not," Y/N explained, a pained look in her e/c eyes. "My magic can only do so much. It can only hide so much, it is not strong enough to hide this," she gestured to her legs. _

_Herelion looked to her legs, confused. To his eyes there was nothing to warrant a limp. "I see nothing," he murmured, half to himself._

_"That is because I do not want you too," she whispered. "You've seen me, Herelion." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You've seen me. Both versions." _

_"Indeed I have," he agreed, stepping forward and taking both her hands in his. _

_"You mustn't tell anyone," she said pleadingly. "Please promise me that."_

_"I promise," he replied. "For it is not mine to tell."_

Snapping back to the present, Herelion sighed and made up his mind. He would go and speak with her mother and devise a way to get her back. She had looked anything but willing when she had taken that Lord's hand.

Perhaps they might get her back before any damage was done. Surely her mother would be of the same mind? Yes, he would go to her. Scere was a resourceful woman and would surely have thought of a way out of this for her daughter.

The walk from the town to Y/N's family estate was marked by a well-worn road and lined by towering trees that swayed in the afternoon breeze. A short distance, he walked it many times with her, sometimes even run if the mood took them.

Soon the gate stood before him, opened wide to admit any visitors that may come during the day. Fear and worry for his friend drove him onwards, unaware of the turmoil currently place within the manor's walls.

The scant presence of the family's servants ought to have alerted him, yet it only raised his curiosity. The shattered glass in the entrance hall rang the alarm bells in his mind and had him tread carefully into the rooms beyond.

"I want her back," that had to be Scere. Her voice was calm considering the circumstances. Edging closer to the closed door, Herelion pressed his ear to the wooden surface.

"A deal is a deal," said a male, one that Herelion recognised to belong to Lord Loki. A shiver trailed down his spine at the thought of the man. "Your husband agreed to my terms and those terms have been fulfilled. I see no further reason to continue this meeting. I am needed elsewhere."

"Your terms were cruel," Scere hissed. "You know not what you demanded."

There was a brief pause before Lord Loki answered, his voice and words measured. "I knew exactly. I _know _exactly."

Something in the way he spoke gave Herelion pause.

"My dear, please," Niod stepped in, Herelion narrowed his eyes at the thought of the man that traded his own daughter. "It would be unwise for us to demand his Lordship to renege on his promise? He will keep her safe."

Scere made a sound that sounded awfully similar to a scoff. "He does not know what the word means. He cares for no one but himself."

"You would be wise not to cross me," Lord Loki hissed, "I know you despise me, do not think I don't. Your daughter is mine, whether you like it or not."

Herelion fought back a growl at the tone of ownership that the alien Lord spoke with. She belonged to no one! She was no object, she was a living breathing being.

"A compromise then?" Niod suggested, sounding hopeful.

"She will never be yours," Scere spat, "she fears you, despises you as much as I."

"Oh," a smug smile could be heard in words Lord Loki spoke next. "I wouldn't say that."

Herelion felt all the blood leave his face at the implication of those words. Scere, it seemed, felt the same. "If you are implying what I believe you are...."

"Well, that all depends," Lord Loki replied, sounding much too pleased. "On how good your imagination is. Oh, how she smiled for me and sighed so beautifully as I brought new sensations to life within her."

"You filth," Scere hissed, furious. "You would dare defile her?"

"She is my wife," he stated all too calmly for the weight the statement carried. "And I did not _defile _her, as you so delicately put it. What happened was with her full and due consent. Nothing I did was done without her permission. I would _never _force myself upon her."

She was his _wife? _Herelion struggled to remain upright. She was his wife? There was no coming back from that.

"What if we were to settle on a compromise?" Niod spoke again, a little louder this time.

"I do not compromise," Lord Loki said, a low warning in the words. "I do not settle for anything less than what I am owed."

"Nor do I," Scere replied, venom dripping off every word. "I want what is mine returned to me."

"If this decision were to involve her, then let her be present," Lord Loki said, surprising everyone. "She ought to have a say in her future."

Herelion was struck speechless. He was not the only one, it seemed. For silence reigned in the closed-off room. At least, until another voice spoke. It was younger and female. It was hers. Y/N.

"Loki?" She said, sounding confused. "What's happened? Why am I here?"

"We require your presence, dear heart," Lord Loki replied softly. Herelion flinched at the name as he continued to listen. Relieved beyond measure to hear her voice again.

"We?" Y/N asked.

"Your parents are here," he explained.

A soft "oh" passed her lips.

"Parsi?" Scere whispered, as though her daughter were a mere apparition. "Are you really here?"

"Mamma."

Herelion could only assume that she embraced her mother.

"I am here dear one," Scere murmured gently. "You are safe now."

"Safe? From what?"

"Lord Loki of course."

"What?" Y/N asked, sounding shocked. "He has done nothing to make me feel _unsafe._" Movement from behind the door made it sound as though she was moving across the room. "He has been nothing but kind and gentle."

Herelion felt his eyes widen in disbelief. Was she defending him? She barely knew him.

"I propose," Niod said in the silence that followed her words. "So that all parties are kept satisfied, that Y/N spend half the year with us, and the other half with her husband."

"No." The word was barely spoken and Herelion was surprised that he could hear it. It was a pained whisper.

"The decision is not yours to make," Scere said, clearly unimpressed by the plan. "It is up to Y/N."

"Well," she began, "I know it has only been a day. But I am not wholly unhappy. It was unexpected yes, and yes, I would rather have been given the opportunity to choose my husband. But I am not entirely opposed to the one I have now," her voice became quieter, as though she was shy of saying such things.

"You _like _him?" Scere asked in shock.

"I am intrigued by him," Y/N clarified. "But in time, yes. I do believe I could like him."

"But what of your home?" Scere asked, desperation leaking into her words. "Your family? Your life here? Your friends?"

"Mother, you know as well as I that I have only one friend."

Herelion smiled sadly at her words. It was widely known that Y/N liked to keep to herself and preferred the company of plants. He counted himself lucky to be among the small number of people she chose to spend her time with.

"Then what of him?" Scere pressed. "Would you not miss him at the very least?"

"You know I would," Y/N whispered, "I do. But this is my life now."

Herelion wanted nothing more in that moment than to break into the room and take her in his arms. She sounded so small, so vulnerable.

"What is your decision Y/N?" Niod asked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen. "Do you agree with the proposal? Or not?"

"I suppose I do," she replied softly.


	7. The weight of words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before I fell in love with words; with setting skies and singing birds- it was you I fell in love with first. 
> 
> ~ Lang Leav (First Love)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the wait my darlings, you have all been so very patient. I hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas, I sure did :)

"Why did you do it?" Loki asked the moment they set foot on _The Underworld. _"Why did you agree?"

Y/N could not meet his gaze, yet something in the way he spoke confused her. He sounded almost sad. When she finally answered, her voice was but a whisper. "What choice did I have?"

A breath of silence passed between the couple.

"Everything is a choice," her husband replied, "everyone has a choice."

"Not everyone," she whispered, the words barely audible.

"What you said to your mother," Loki said, gesturing for her to walk beside him.

"I meant what I said," Y/N replied, finishing his sentence. Finally she looked up, meeting his searching gaze. "You fascinate me."

"I'm sorry?"

Y/N found herself smiling. "I am fascinated by you and yes, in time I do believe that that fascination and curiosity will grow into something more."

"Something tells me that your mother would not be pleased with that," came his reply, his lips curving into a wry smile.

"My mother may control many things," Y/N said. "But she cannot control the way I feel."

"You could have chosen to stay," he said softly, "you needn't have come back with me right away," he drew a shuddering breath. "I would have understood."

"I know," she replied, twisting her hands together and diverting her attention to them. "But I wanted to come back."

This startled him. No one ever wanted to come back. Not until now. "You did? Why?"

"Because I believe that I can make a home for myself here," she said, smiling shyly. "A home for _us. _If you'll let me."

"But what of your life before, all that you'll leave behind?"

"Are you trying to get me to leave?" She asked, laughing. "I was under the impression that you wanted me to stay."

"I am surprised," Loki replied, his eyes drifting up to the arched ceiling. "No one has ever wanted to stay here, at least not longer than they had too."

Y/N's smile faded as she listened to him. "Then let me be different," she implored, reaching out to take one of his hands in both of hers. "Please, give me that chance."

"You always have been," he murmured, eyes locked on where his hand rested in the nest of hers. "You are of the light, of warmth."

"Indeed I am," she agreed, smiling softly. "But perhaps it is time for me to rest in the shade. To experience the coolness and calm that only darkness can bring." Her words drew his eyes to hers in surprise. "For how can we see the twinkling stars if the dark did not allow them to shine? The dark has its beauty and the light has its flaws."

"How can you say such things?" Loki asked, the words spoken in a disbelieving whisper. "You do not know me."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I do not. But I know _of_ you and the stories that surround you." Immediately she felt him tense, so she continued. "I have heard them all. The good and the bad. And they have done nothing but paint a rather complex portrait of the man before me."

"Do you believe them?"

"I used too," she replied, "when I was younger. Before I learned not to put stock on the hearsay of others."

"And now?"

"Now," she said, subtly tightening her grip on his hands. "Now I shall make my own decision as to who you are. And the only stories I shall tell will be the truth."

The way he looked at her reminded her of the blind man that used to live in her town. He had been badly injured and lost his sight. For many years he had suffered, being driven to beg until her mother had taken pity on him and had given him a remedy, the distilled nectar of the dawn-lily. It had restored his sight, healing his old injury. Y/N had been fascinated by it and had been brought to tears at the wonder in the man's eyes as he looked around.

"I should go," she murmured not a moment later. "There is still so much of this ship I have not seen."

Loki simply watched her as she made her way down the corridor. She did not look back.

He really ought to follow her, he knew that. Yet he could not bring himself to do so. Sighing, he turned and made his way to the bridge.

Waiting until his footsteps had faded completely, Minthe stepped out from the shadows. Her keen eyes had seen everything, and had found nothing more intriguing than Y/N's ever-present limp. It did not come from an injury, she had been with the organisation too long to not know the difference.

Making up her mind, she set off in the direction Y/N had gone. It did not take her long to find her, the bright colours of her gown shining like a beacon. The young woman stood before a wall of windows, looking down.

"He's right, you know he is," she was murmuring, clearly unaware that she had company. "You had a choice. You could be down there now, with mother, with Herelion."

Minthe felt her ears prick at the new name.

"I wonder if he knows," she continued, shifting her weight. "I wonder if mother told him."

Narrowing her eyes, Minthe began to think. It was obvious that this Herelion meant a great deal to her. Perhaps she ought to use this to her advantage?

"Anyway," she said, sighing and running a hand through her loose hair. "It is the way it is."

Minthe watched with renewed interest as Y/N lifted her head as though to gaze out the windows. The moment she did however, she hissed and turned away. "You should know better by now," she scolded herself. "How long will it take for you to learn?"

Concealed within the shadows. Minthe watched silently as the young woman passed her by, her elegant movements tainted by the limp. Her thoughts drifted back to a few moments before. Just what had Y/N seen for her to react that way? Was it perhaps the view of her home planet, so near yet so far? Or was it perhaps the height at which they were? '_But surely',_ Minthe thought to herself, _'Y/N had traveled before'. _Or was it something completely different, was it something she had seen in the glass?


	8. The bond of family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems to me that love could be labeled poison and we'd drink it anyways.
> 
> ~ Atticus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are literal angels, I cannot thank you enough for your patience. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.....I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

A _Temevra_, that is what he was. A being who was able to change their outward appearance in the blink of an eye. Wearing the face of her husband, he now stood before a mirror and contemplated his reflection. Piercing green eyes stared back at him, eyes that were framed by the starkly contrasted ebony hair. It was a foreign face and Herelion found himself hard-pressed to find any appeal in those cold features.

Shaking himself, he shed the appearance and took on his own.

"Be glad his visage is not your own."

Startled, Herelion recalled his company. Turning, his blue eyes meet Scere's as she stood in the doorway. Pushing away from it, she approached him. "You know Y/N better than most, she has allowed you into her private circles. Something she has never done before she met you."

"Yes, well," Herelion murmured, "it seems as though I'm not the only one she's let in."

"So you know," Scere sighed. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

"How could this have happened?" Herelion demanded, fighting to not raise his voice.

"I fear I have no suitable answer," Scere replied grimly. "My knowledge on the subject is about the same as yours."

"So where is she now?"

Scere delayed in her reply. Her mind went to places that made her recoil in shock. If not horror. She knew where Y/N was, even who she was with. "She is onboard _The Underworld_, with him."

"You let her go back?" Herelion whispered harshly. "Even with the knowledge you have concerning him?"

"Believe you me, Herelion," Scere said, eyes hardening. "I detest the thought as much as you, if not more so. But a compromise was created. In but a few months she will return to us."

"For good?" He asked, fighting to keep from sounding too hopeful.

"I'm afraid not," her mother replied. "The terms of the compromise were quite clear. Half the year with us, half the year with him."

"But surely there must be a way around all this? There must be."

"If there was, do you not think that I might have found it by now?" Scere shot back. "You heard the way she defended him."

"I wish I hadn't," Herelion muttered. "It makes no sense."

"That much is clear," Scere agreed.

"Is it possible that perhaps she was not herself?"

Scere narrowed her eyes in thought. "What are you suggesting?"

"You know as well as I the stories surrounding his abilities."

Scere shook her head. "No. As much as I hate to say it, she appeared fully coherent. The words and actions were all her own. I detected no signs of an enchantment."

Herelion growled in frustration and began to pace. This whole situation felt wrong. Aside from the obvious, something was off. His mind began to wander, though not to Y/N. It went to a person he had not seen for some time. He knew of her connection to Tartarus Inc. perhaps she might be able to provide some useful insight.

"Herelion?" Scere's mention of his name brought him out of his thoughts. "Where were you just now?"

"Thinking," he replied, eyes going distant. They had not spoken since her departure, yet somehow he always knew where she was.

"About Y/N?"

Scere was surprised when he shook his head. "Who then?"

Herelion smiled slightly. He had not spoken of her to anyone, not even Y/N. But right now, she could prove to be their best chance at getting Y/N back for good. "My sister."

"You have a sister?" Scere asked, surprised.

Herelion nodded. "We have not made contact for quite sometime, but we always know where the other is."

"What brought this on?"

"She could very well be the key to all this," he replied, the wheels of his mind turning as a plan began to form.

"How so?"

"She works for the very company that belongs to the man that holds your daughter hostage."

Scere's eyes lit up. This was too good to be true. "But why would she help us? If you have not spoken for a while..."

"I know she will," he said, fighting to remain calm. If the information was correct, she would be more than willing to help.

"What reason would she have?" Scere asked, "what makes you so sure?"

"I have information pertaining to her importance to the company. You might say that she is quite near the top."

"Close to _him?" _Scere asked, her nose wrinkling.

Herelion nodded. "Precisely. I have no doubt that she knows that I know of this. Or of the situation that she now finds herself in."

"And what might that be?"

Herelion paused, thinking of how best phrase it. "My sister is a jealous person. Possessive and at times, selfish."

"Why are you telling me this?" Scere demanded with growing impatience. "How is this important to the task at hand?"

"Because you see," Herelion replied, smiling. "The man your daughter married is also the one my sister happens to be in love with."

~ ~ ~

Minthe rolled the potion bottle back and forth across the desk as she watched the stars beyond her window. The liquid inside glimmered with golden possibilities. The thought had crossed her mind more than once. Just one tiny drop and all her problems would be turned into stardust.

But of course, she immediately knew that she would become the prime suspect if anything were to happen to his precious Y/N. She shuddered as the woman's face came to mind. What Loki saw in those ordinary features was beyond her.

It was evident to anyone with working eyes that he had fallen for her. Minthe couldn't stand it, she often found herself leaving the room as they entered it. She fought not to gag whenever Y/N showed something even resembling affection.

It was becoming too much for her.

Everything had been going swimmingly before Y/N arrived. Her arrival had disturbed everything. Now more than ever did Minthe feel the distance between herself and her Lord grow. Granted, he had never returned her attentions, not that had deterred her. But she liked to think that their relationship was something that went beyond the professional.

At least, she hoped it did.

One could never be sure about where they stood with the young Lord. Many had made the fatal mistake of believing him to be their friend when in truth he wanted very little to do with them.

Sighing, Minthe stood up and went to the wall of windows. Fiddling with the bottle in her hands, she began to think. She began to worry. She couldn't possibly have fallen in the same trap those fools had, had she? She dreaded to think of the fate planned for her should he finally decide she had overstepped the boundaries.

Y/N couldn't possibly know, could she? She was a clever young woman, Minthe reluctantly admitted that much. Astute too, to her dismay. Cunning as the snake Minthe saw her as. A poisonous creature whose only intent was to cause harm and havoc. There was something very wrong about her, that much Minthe knew for sure. If her limp and her reaction to her own reflection was anything to go by.

Did Loki perhaps know and was keeping it from her?

Minthe smiled at the possibility that perhaps he did not. That undoubtedly his precious wife was keeping a devastating secret from him. Her eyes glittered like the stars she gazed at.

_Herelion._ She stopped as the name flittered through her memory. No doubt there were many beings out there with that name. It would be nothing shy of a coincidence if it belonged to the man she hoped it did. If Y/N knew her brother, then perhaps her luck had not yet quite run out.


	9. When you depart from me sorrow abides, and happiness takes his leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He looked at her the way she needed to be looked at like the world would crumble and he wouldn't blink.
> 
> ~ Atticus

It was unbelievable to think that half a year had already passed them by.

Loki watched silently as his wife of six months flitted through their suite of rooms. She was due to leave _The Underworld_ in less than an hour. Her h/c hair was still loose and was frequently swept away from her face as she sought to ready herself and the few belongings she wanted to take.

A bittersweet smile curved his thin lips. "Dearest, there is no need for you to take anything," he said, calling her attention to him. "You are going home after all. You have all you need there."

This gave her pause. "I suppose I do," she murmured and raked a hand through her hair. A decision made, she beamed at him. "In that case I had better arrange my hair into something resembling decency."

Nodding, Loki watched her go and sighed as the bathroom door closed behind her. Much had changed in the months gone by. Y/N's confidence had grown and her familiarity with the ship was fast developing. She smiled more, as though she was truly happy there with him. Loki allowed himself to believe as such. Glancing down at the brand on his ring finger, he let out a shaky breath.

It was going to be a long six months.

Emerging from the bathroom, she approached him. While her smile was wide, it did not reach her eyes, as it was often want to do. "I do believe I am all set," she said. "How do I look?" Stepping back, she spun in a slow circle, her skirts flaring out.

"You look beautiful," he replied softly. "As always."

A gentle blush dusted her cheeks. "Thank you, I wish to make a good impression when I return home."

"Come," he said, offering his arm to her. "The shuttle awaits."

Nodding, Y/N took his arm and lifted her skirts slightly with her free hand. Standing at the threshold of their chambers, she sighed. A strange sadness washed over her as she realised that she would miss this place.

"Are you alright, dear one?"

His words drew her eyes to his face and a sad smile to her lips. "I was just thinking that I am going to miss-" she cut herself off, biting her lip before continuing. "All this."

"It is your home," Loki explained gently, laying a hand over the one that rested on his arm. "As much as the world you will be returning too."

She did not miss the faint look that passed through his emerald eyes. It went straight to her heart and gave it a sharp tug. "We had best get going," she said quietly.

Nodding in agreement, Loki led her down the winding corridors of _The Underworld. _

"Will you be coming down with me?" Y/N asked as they neared the hanger bay. 

Loki shook his head. "I am afraid not, dear heart. But fear not, Captain Rahl with take good care of you."

Y/N noticed, with some surprise, that Minthe was there, waiting for them at the entrance to the hanger. Smiling politely at the woman as they passed her, Y/N lifted her gaze to where the shuttle waited. A young male Tova stood to attention beside the craft. 

"My Lord," he greeted Loki and saluted. "My Lady," he greeted Y/N in much the same manner.

"At ease Rahl," Loki replied, smiling faintly. "I trust the shuttle is ready?"

"Indeed it is my Lord," the young man replied, relaxing out of his stiff posture. "Whenever you are ready, my Lady," he said kindly to Y/N.

Nodding, she waited until he had boarded the shuttle before she turned to her husband. "I shan't be saying goodbye," she smiled up at him. "Because I will return soon."

"A farewell then?" Loki said softly, his eyes shining with unspoken words.

Y/N nodded. "These six months will fly by," she assured him, taking hold of his left hand. Pulling him towards her, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You'll see."

In answer, his arms wound around her like vines. Burying his face in her shoulder, he inhaled the scent that was so uniquely her. "Do you promise?" He asked, his voice muffled.

Y/N swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat and nodded. "I promise," she whispered, confused by the dull ache in her chest. Drawing back a little to look up at him, she cupped his face with both hands. The ache in her chest only grew as he leaned into her touch, eyes closed.

A brief moment of silence passed before they drew apart.

"I will see you soon," she said, fighting to keep the quiver from her voice.

Loki nodded stiffly and clenched his jaw. "Farewell."

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Y/N turned towards the shuttle, the door being held open by Rahl. She had not taken five steps when she heard it. A soft plea.

"Wait."

Stopping, she turned to face the speaker. She received little warning before Loki had pulled her towards him, crashing their lips together. It was hard and desperate and spoke of more than his words had. Y/N readily responded, throwing her arms around his neck and curving her body against his.

When at last they parted, Y/N was alarmed to find her cheeks damp. Meeting his gaze, she saw that they were not her tears. But his. Something within her broke at seeing him so.

"You will come back," he whispered, pleading with her. "Won't you?"

Y/N nodded, "I promise," she replied, in much the same tone. "I _will_ return to you."

"Here," he said, voice a little stronger. He directed her gaze down to where he pressed something into her palm. Curling her hand around it. "Something to remember me by."

She wanted to cry at the heartbreakingly tender look in his eyes. Never had anyone looked at her in such a way. "I don't need anything," she whispered, hating how her voice wobbled near the end. "You have given me more than enough." Drawing him into one final embrace, she said. "Nothing could make me forget you."

Her words echoed around him as the shuttle departed, taking Y/N with it.

It was not until Scere asked what she was holding, that Y/N remembered that Loki had given her something. While her mother looked on with interest, she uncurled her hand and gasped softly. There, nestled in her palm was a necklace. A delicate golden chain that bore a single emerald, cut to resemble a twelve-pointed star.

Scere was silent as she watched Y/N clasp the necklace around her neck, the star settling against her breastbone. It sparkled gently in the late morning light. She did not miss how her daughter touched the star in a reverent manner, a sad smile playing at her lips.

"Did he give that to you?" She asked as they walked the pebbled pathways of the greenhouse.

Y/N nodded, letting her hands trail against the plants they passed. "Just before I left."

Scere sighed at her daughter's words. "I have favour to ask of you," she said, gaining her daughter's curious attention.

Y/N smiled and nodded. "Anything."

"While you are here, I ask you not to wear it," Scere stated firmly. "I will not have his presence lingering while you are here with us."

Y/N gasped softly, her hand flying to the star.

"Starting now," her mother said, looking pointedly at where her hand partially covered the emerald.

"I can't do that," Y/N whispered, shock clear in her e/c eyes. She shook her head as her mother's gaze hardened. "I'm sorry."

"You can't possibly care for him?" Scere asked, eyebrows raised. "After he took you from everything you knew? From me."

"He is my husband," Y/N replied, looking her mother in the eye.

Do you _love _him?" Scere asked, her lip curling in disgust and shaking her head when her daughter remained silent. 

The remainder of the walk transpired in silence, broken only by the twittering and singing of the birds that took residence in the greenhouse trees. Not much had changed in her absence, Y/N found. She smiled fondly at seeing some of her favourites.

She broke her silence however, when a tree baring a certain red fruit came into view. "Pomegranates," she whispered excitedly and hurried to the tree.

Scere frowned and followed her eager offspring. She watched as Y/N plucked one of the ripest ones and held it to her nose, inhaling the scent of its red skin. "How do you know it's name?"

"Loki told me," she replied simply.

"Oh he did, did he?" Scere demanded, folding her arms across her chest. "Now why would he do something like that?"

"Because I asked him," Y/N answered, shrugging, "he gave me some and I wanted to know what it was."

Scere paled at her daughter's words. "You ate the seeds?"

Y/N nodded. "I did. But why did you never tell me about them?"

Scere drew a trembling breath and motioned for Y/N to join her on the bench below the tree. "Everything in life has a meaning," she began, her voice stronger than she felt. "Plants are no different."

While she knew this well, it confused Y/N. "Mother? Is everything alright?"

Scere smiled tightly before continuing. "Every plant in this greenhouse has a meaning, they symbolise something. In times passed, certain flowers were used to convey messages."

"But what has this to do with pomegranates?" Y/N asked, looking up at the tree. "Do they mean something too?"

Scere nodded and took a deep breath. "They have a few meanings."

"And what are they?" Y/N asked, now more curious than confused.

"Beauty," Scere replied, "power, eternal life and-" her words faded into silence as her breath stuttered out of her and her heart beat rapidly within her.

"And?" Y/N asked, eager. "What is the last one, mother?" She frowned upon seeing her mother's haunted eyes. "Is it a bad one?"

"No, sweet girl," Scere replied, swallowing hard. "It is not bad."

"Then why do you not tell me?" Y/N asked gently, taking her mother's hand. "What is the other meaning?"

A beat of silence passed before Scere met her daughter's kind eyes. "Fertility."

"Why could you not tell me that?" Y/N asked, her confusion returning. "It is perfect, especially now that I am married."

"When you were born," Scere said in a soft tone, tears gathering on her long lashes. "There were a number of complications."

"I am aware," Y/N murmured grimly. "Unfortunately."

"But there is one I have not told you of," Scere continued, drawing her daughter's questioning look to her. "One that is not able to be hidden by an illusion."

Y/N licked her dry lips and forced herself to remain calm. Her mind was going down some very dangerous roads. "Mother. Please," she took a trembling breath. "I have to know."

As though in grief, Scere closed her eyes, a single tear leaking through. When she opened them, she looked her daughter in the eye. When she spoke, her voice was soft, as fragile as cracked glass. "You were born without a womb."

Y/N stared at her mother, tears quickly distorting her vision. Her breath came rapidly as she stood, covering her mouth in shock. Shaking her head, she squeezed her eyes shut. "No," she whispered. "No, this isn't real. It cannot be."

Scere said nothing as she watched her daughter. This was the reason why she had never told her and why the pomegranate had appeared all but evil to her. Reminding her of her daughter's infertility.

"I can't have children," Y/N whimpered to herself, her eyes displaying her shattered heart. "Is there anything that is not wrong with me?"

It tore her heart to shreds seeing her beautiful girl like this. Scere hated herself for the words of self-loathing that poured from her daughter's trembling lips.

"He will hate me now," Y/N was saying, her cheeks streaked with tears. "He will despise me," her words became horrified whispers as her free hand moved to clutch the star, its points digging into her palm. Falling to her knees, she let the pomegranate fall. Clutching the star with both hands, she let out a cry of anguish before curling into herself and weeping. "I am so sorry Loki," she whimpered as the tears fell. "Please forgive me."

The fruit she had let fall rolled to a stop at Scere's feet. She did not get up to comfort her daughter as guilt ate away at her. Yet another secret for her daughter to keep, yet another part of herself that she had to hide.


	10. Fair is foul, and foul is fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I hope you are loved in the way you deserve." Depending on who you are, and what you have done, those words could be the kindest wish or the worst curse. 
> 
> ~ Nikita Gill (The Way You Deserve)

She was gone. She was finally gone.

Minthe's smile of victory soured upon the memory of their parting. She had approached her Lord as he left the hanger and walked alongside him. There was no idle chatter as they passed through the halls and steadily made their way to his office.

In fact, there had been silence. Silence that was only broken by the regular sounds of their footsteps.

Stopping shortly before the twin glass doors that lead to his office, Loki turned ever so slightly in her direction. "I would appreciate it if you would fetch last cycle's designs for me please."

"Holographic or physical my Lord?" Minthe asked, "and any of them specifically?"

After thinking for a moment, Loki replied, "bring the external pieces we had constructed for the Monolae system. Physical will do."

Minthe felt her eyes widen a fraction. "You wish to give them _those _ones Sir?"

"It is all part of the deal, Minthe," Loki assured her. "And since those pieces were never delivered...." His words trailed off into an eerie silence. 

Minthe knew well what her Lord implied with those words. The shipment had never left _The Underworld_, no one ever knew why. Though now, Minthe suspected that her Lord did. That collection was his finest work and the most advanced in the Alliance so far.

Knowing better than to question further, Minthe bowed and made to take her leave when his voice stopped her. "If I might ask one more favour of you?"

"Of course my Lord," she replied.

"I would like you to do a brief history sweep of our latest client. Family and political history, medical records, you know what I mean."

A little surprised but more than willing, Minthe nodded. "As you wish, my Lord."

"Excellent. Bring the findings to me tomorrow, I wish to know as much as possible about the man I am working with." With those words, he crossed into his office, leaving Minthe in the passageway before she turned and went back the way they had come.

There was someone she needed to speak to first.

Slipping into the spacious room that served as her own office, she crossed to a rather large desk that took up most of the back wall, her back to the wall of windows. Sliding into the chair that stood behind it, Minthe tapped the left bottom corner of her desk twice and waited patiently for her transmission to be accepted.

"Hello sister," said a familiar voice.

Smiling, Minthe came face-to-face with her older brother. The smooth lines of the hologram showed him to have aged not even a day since they parted. "Herelion," she greeted warmly. "It's been a while."

Her blue-eyed brother smiled sadly and nodded.

"But that is not why I have contacted you," she continued.

Herelion raised a brow. "What is it?" He asked.

"Have you seen her yet?"

Herelion shook his head. "She is with her mother at present, in the greenhouse. I have yet to see her. Is she changed from when she arrived?" 

Minthe shrugged. "I wouldn't know. But what I do know is that the two of them have grown rather too comfortable for my liking."

Herelion chuckled. "Your jealousy is shining a little too brightly."

Huffing, Minthe folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. "He loves her. A blind man could see it," the words were forced out from behind clenched teeth.

"But does she love him?" Herelion asked, eyes narrowing. "Has she said as much?"

"She does not need too," Minthe grumbled, "her actions show it clearly enough."

Herelion shook his head, clearly unconvinced. "I do not believe that. Until I hear it from her own mouth, it'll be but a rumour."

Minthe smirked. "Feeling a little jealous ourselves are we?"

Dismissing the remark, Herelion ran a hand through his snow-white hair. "Will you help us sister?"

"That is the reason why I bothered to make contact after all," despite her annoyed words, the smile on her lips said differently. "What is it you need?"

"Information," came his reply. "On him. Anything at all."

"I will only say yes if you give me some information in return."

Herelion eyed his sister but nodded. "What, specifically?"

"On her father and the rest of her family. He wants to know as much as he can about the man he's dealing with. Are you able to get this for me?"

Herelion nodded. "I can. But it'll have to wait until after I've seen her, its been six months after all."

"No need to remind me," Minthe muttered, much to the amusement of her sibling.

~ ~ ~

Standing before a mirror in her private chambers, Y/N gazed at herself. She had made sure to lock and secure the doors before she went any further.

Taking a deep breath, she let the illusion drop and forced herself to look. What gazed back was far from the woman everyone knew. Tears filled her eyes as they swept over the reflection.

Shaking her head, Y/N bit her lip. How in the universe could someone love one such as she? How could they look on her without even the slightest hint of revulsion? Pity, if she was lucky.

No, she swallowed hard and took a series of stuttering breaths. Not with her spine as twisted as it was by the unevenness of her legs. Nor with the crookedness of her shoulders and the shocking asymmetry of her jaw. It jutted out to the side, taking her bottom lip with it and mangling her speech ever so slightly.

As if that wasn't already enough. Her hands and eyes drifted down to her stomach and rested there. She made for a pitiful sight, she knew that. Completely inadequate as a wife or even a living being.

Stripping down to her skin, she was greeted with the sight of her uneven hips, one side compensating where the other lacked in height. She had been born like this. Disgust curled her lips. "I should never have been born," she whispered, "I should not be allowed to exist-" collapsing to the carpeted floor, she curled in on herself and wept.

Illusions had been her companion since she been not an hour old. Her mother had cast them for the first few years and had only taught them to her when she was old enough to understand. At first it had been hard. Almost impossible. It had been the first piece of magic she learned and one she perfected well over the years. An illusion to hide, to pretend that all was well.

Herelion knew of course. After that chance encounter, nothing had been left to hide. It was by some miracle that he had chosen to remain her friend. Someone she could count on and trust to keep her shameful secret from spreading like a disease.

Looking back to the mirror, the woman that looked back was easily recognisable. Y/N had seen her many times. When her bouts of self-loathing became too much, that is when she made her appearance. Looking back at her with sunken, tear filled eyes and a trembling deformed body. Her hair was loose and hung in limp strands over her uneven shoulders. A smile felt foreign to her, a miserable sob choking out of her took its place.

Yet, amidst all this, only one thing appeared beautiful and utterly perfect. The glittering star that rested against her heaving chest. The gift of someone she had done nothing but lie too. Hide from.

She hated it then. Sudden and horrid jealousy sprung up. How could a thing like her ever think to wear something of such beauty and think itself worthy of it? But as much as she wished to tear it off and see its emerald facets shatter, she could not. Her fingers remained locked around it. Hiding it, while at the same time, protecting it.


	11. Misshapen chaos of well-meaning forms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Storms are wonderful. The way the skies thrash and scream, burdened with the weight of lost, forgotten dreams. 
> 
> ~ Nikita Gill

"Miss?"

Y/N looked up from her current occupation, a reading of a rather extensive encyclopedia of the universe as it was known. "Yes?"

"I am sorry to bother you," the maid apologised and relaxed a fraction when Y/N smiled gently. "But you have a visitor."

Intrigued, she set the book to the side and leant forward. "Did they give a name?"

"Herelion, miss."

The maid had barely finished in her answer before Y/N leapt up and dashed from the room, leaving the maid chuckling behind her.

Y/N's smile only grew when she saw her friend waiting in the entrance hall. "Herelion!" She called to him, waving her arms as she ran, heading for the stairs that connected the two levels.

Herelion looked up at the sound of his name and grinned at seeing his best friend fly down the stairs, her arms stretched out to him. Without a second thought, he caught her and lifted her, spinning her so that her skirts fanned out. Her laughter mixed in with his.

Out of breath by the time he set her down, Y/N beamed up at her friend. "I take it you've missed me?" She asked, winking and grinning. Her entire being seemed to radiate joy.

"Only a little," Herelion replied, teasing. "I barely noticed you were gone."

Barking out a laugh, she hit him playfully on the arm. "Oh stop it, you."

"Come," he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "There are many people who will be glad to see you."

Nodding, she replied with a small smile. "Lead the way."

The walk from the estate to the village was a pleasant one and took a while longer due to Y/N stopping at intervals to take in her surroundings. While it was her home, she had been absent for six months. She took deep breaths, filling her lungs with pure clean air.

Herelion watched her fondly. "I am glad for your return, truly."

When she turned to look at him, she sighed and moved to take his arm. "So am I. I have truly missed this place. The sun, the fresh air, the trees and flowers. All of it."

"Come, I thought it you might like to come to the farm?"

Y/N nodded eagerly. "I have not been in an age. But can we pass through town first?"

"Of course."

The townsfolk were delighted to see her. Embracing her and cheering, a few children shyly gave her flowers. "See?" Herelion murmured in her ear as they left the bustling town behind. "They missed you too."

A light blush dusted her cheeks as she ducked her head.

"What was it like?" He asked as they neared his family farm.

"What was what like?"

"The ship," he explained, leading them to the fields behind the main house. _"The Underworld."_

"Ah," she said softly before answering. "At the beginning it was quite daunting. It is like a world in itself, that is how big it is."

"Did you ever get lost?"

"At first," she replied, her eyes becoming more distant. "But the more I explored, the more I became familiar with the outlay."

Herelion was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. His voice and words carefully measured. "And what is he like? Your husband. Is he anything like in the stories?"

A strange look entered her eyes and she shook her head. "Not to me," she said softly, reaching down to aid a struggling lilac. "His ways are different from ours, that is true. But never once was he unkind to me."

They continued to walk in a comfortable silence, both content to say nothing and simply enjoy the other's company. A silence broken only by the soft sounds of morning birdsong and the soft whisper of the wind through the leaves of the nearby trees.

Y/N smiled to herself as she traversed the well-known paths through the flower patches. A soft sparkle caught her eye, causing her to look down. There, nestled just below her collarbone, the emerald star glittered.

Herelion too, seemed to have noticed it. "I did not think you enjoyed emeralds."

Y/N laughed and shrugged. "You are right, but this one was a gift and I intend on cherishing it. It would be rude not too."

"Indeed," Herelion muttered to himself.

Shaking her head, Y/N walked on ahead, her limp allowing her to remain only a few steps ahead of her companion. So transfixed was she by her familiar surroundings that she did not see the edge of an uneven tile.

Herelion leapt forward, catching her before she fell.

Stumbling to a halt, Y/N felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Looking up at her friend, she was surprised to find his face a mere few inches from her own. "Herelion?" she said his name softly, confused by the expression on his face and the look in his eyes. "I'm okay," she continued, beginning to step back to right herself. "Thank yo-" her words were brought to a sudden halt when she felt a pair of lips pressed to her own. Frozen, she stood stock still, not knowing in the least what to do. Then, in a sudden rush, common sense returned to her.

Stepping back, she broke his grip and stared at him, confused. "Herelion?"

Herelion, for his part, did not look the least bit repentant. "I have waited so long for this."

"For what?" Y/N asked, narrowing her eyes and cocking her head to the side. "Herelion, what is going on?"

"From the moment I first beheld you, I knew you were special," Herelion said, his eyes fixed to her face. "And when you left with that _creature, _I thought I had lost you for good."

Realisation slammed into her and she stumbled backwards, shaking her head. "No. Herelion, I am sorry," she held up her hands in a placating manner. "But I am married now," bearing her left ring finger, she showcased the ring-brand.

"It matters not," he continued, stepping towards her, only making her retreat.

"Of course it does," she protested, aghast. Then, taking a deep breath, she spoke again, her voice trembling but calmer than before. "Herelion listen to me. You are my friend, my best friend. That will never change. But my loyalty now lies with my husband."

"You loyalty is not the only thing to lie with him, is it?" Herelion sneered, his handsome features contorting.

Y/N stared at him. "How dare you?" She whispered, fighting to stay in control. "How dare you make it sound so, so.." She trailed off as she searched for the right word.

"Vulgar?" Herelion supplied, smiling nastily. "Profane?"

"It is none of those things," she replied, folding her arms over her chest. "Nor is it any of your business."

"Of course it is," Herelion replied, "I have known you for longer than he. I know what you are, what you really look like beneath all those elaborate illusions. Tell me," he said, advancing on her. "Does he know? Has he seen those uneven legs of yours, has he seen how they twist your spine? Has he heard you try to speak with your jaw so crooked?"

Tears stung her eyes as she continued to step back. Clenching her jaw, she met his gaze head on. What had gotten into him? Was it jealousy?

"He doesn't does he?" Herelion smiled darkly. An expression previously unknown to him. "I take it by your silence that you have not yet had the courage to show him?" He paused and swept his gaze over her. "Though I suppose, if you had," he looked up to meet her tear-filled eyes. "You would be staying for good."

A gasp tore itself free from her. Without thinking, her hand reeled back and made solid contact with his face. "How dare you?" She hissed, shaking from head to toe. "What has become of you to speak to me so?"

Herelion glared at her, his cheek stinging from the slap.

"You think it easy for me?" She continued, voice soft. "Hiding behind this facade from my own husband? Do you think that I have not thought of what you have just suggested?" The tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. "I once thought you to be one of the few people I could trust. It appears I was wrong." With those words, she turned away from him and made to leave.

"I would have made you so happy," Herelion whispered, his words stopping her.

Y/N spun 'round. "I _was_ happy," she replied icily. "Despite all that is wrong with me, I was happy."

"With him?" The jealousy had returned to his words. "Or here, where you belong?"

"Both," she replied, lifting her chin. "I had come to accept my circumstances. Let's face it Herelion, things could have gone a lot worse than they did."

"They did," Herelion said, his voice rising. "My world shattered when you took his hand in the market that day. My heart broke when I heard you defend him that first time."

"I'm sorry," she said, "I am sorry that you had to experience those things. But it does not change the fact that I am bound to him, and he to me. There is no changing that."

"Do you love him?"

Y/N sighed. "This isn't about love Herelion. My marriage to him was all part of a contract between him and my father. Love was never in the cards to begin with."

"But you care about him?"

She laughed, shocked. "Of course I care about him. I have just spent half the damned year with him."

If he was surprised by her language, he showed no indication. "But does he care about you?" He asked, tapping his chin in mock thought. "I wonder."

Y/N did not answer right away, her mind going back to her departure. The way he had looked at her was branded into her mind, and dare she say, but her heart as well. "Yes," she whispered. "He does."

"Well that's a shame."

"Why?" She asked, sounding almost fearful of the answer.

"Because it will make it all the harder when he finds out about your latest 'condition', shall we say."

"Herelion, what are you saying?"

He smiled cruelly then. "There are many tasks a wife must perform," he paused, taking in her pale features, the blood having drained away.

"No," she whispered, horrified. He couldn't possibly know, could he?

"Oh yes," he continued. "And producing heirs for her husband is often considered the most important of them all." His eyes narrowed, "but you are unable to do even that, aren't you?"

Short uneven breaths stuttered out of her. "How do you know of such a thing? Did my mother tell you?"

"No," he shook his head. "I have my own ways of discovering certain details. And I can imagine that there is one person in particular who would benefit largely from this news."

Her jaw was clenched tight and her hands shook where they were folded near her stomach. "Dare I ask who?"

"My sister," he said simply.

"Your sister?" Y/N repeated. "You never spoke to me of a sister."

"Simply because you did not need to know," Herelion replied, shrugging.

"Why-" she broke off, swallowing hard before trying again. "Why would she benefit?"

"It is very simple really," he said, moving to stand before her. "My sister will now be free to pursue him. Without any fear of interference from you."

"By him, you mean my husband?" Y/N asked in a trembling whisper. "And by interference, you mean children?"

"Indeed. My sister has long since been in love with him. Her quest to gain his affections was destroyed by you."

"Minthe," she gasped softly. "Minthe is your sister, isn't she?"

Herelion nodded. "My younger sister, yes."

Y/N began to hyperventilate before she broke out into a bout of hysterical laughter, taking Herelion by surprise. "Isn't this rich," she said, giggling though far from happy. "You claim to be in love with me and then you tell me that the sister I never knew you had is infatuated with my husband."

"She loves him," he corrected her.

Y/N shook her head at his words. "No, she does not. She does not love him," she paused and smiled almost maniacally. "She lusts after him. And she hates it that it is I," she pointed a finger to herself, "I and not she, who sleeps in his bed. Whom he makes sweet and tender love too. Whom he kisses with both wild abandon and softest affection. Whom he _loves."_

Herelion was seething. She looked mad, with her eyes wet and wild and her chest heaving. Did she truly not know what she did to him when she said such things? Or perhaps she did, judging by the triumphant look in her e/c eyes. "You are mad."

"No," she shook her head, her smile evaporating. "You are the mad one for believing, even for a moment, that I would betray my husband not two days after I have left him. I swore to stand by him, for better or worse, and I fully intend to keep that promise."

"Even to someone like him?"

She nodded. "A promise is a promise Herelion. It does not matter to whom it is made."

"You are asking me to live without my heart," Herelion said in perhaps the most vulnerable voice she had ever heard from him. "Without my soul?"

Y/N smiled sadly. "I never asked to be those things. If you care for me the way you claim, you will not speak of this to anyone, nor will you prevent me from leaving when the time has come."

"You cannot ask me to do that."

"I can," she said softly. "And I did. I am married Herelion. I will stand by his side until I breathe my last as the oath demands. I will fight for him and defend him when others should slander his name. I am his and he is mine. The bond cannot be broken."

Herelion said nothing, not even when he saw her hand drift absently to the star that hung above her heart. It was clearly more than oaths of fidelity and loyalty that had her speak such words.


	12. Behind the mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She wore a troubled past like wings- she had been through hell, and though no one could see her demons, they could see the face that conquered them. 
> 
> ~ Atticus

"Here we are Sir," Minthe said as she laid down a small stack of data files on Loki's desk. "The pieces are on their way, but these are the results for the sweeps you asked me to do."

"Excellent, thank you," he replied, not looking away from the raised display on the conference table. He circled it, head tilted and eyes narrowed.

Minthe nodded once before leaving the room.

The moment she left, Loki went to his desk and sat down. Reaching for the collection that Minthe had left him, he began to scroll through them. Images appeared before him and words alongside, each detailing the background of one Niod-Zesu. The man was a genius, the eldest of three brothers and the only one to have been married.

Loki however, did not stop once he had seen all the files on him, it seemed that Minthe had given him information on his entire family. Scere, his wife, came after. Unlike her husband, she was one of six, three older brothers and two younger sisters. All of whom were married and had had children of their own. While her husband brokered deals and solidified alliances, she travelled among the galaxies providing agricultural support through her company Demeter AgriCorp. Up until six months ago, she rarely travelled without her daughter, Y/N, by her side.

This brought him to hers. A soft smile curved his lips when her likeness appeared before him. She was gone not a week and he missed her terribly.

Her files bore similar information to that of her parents, detailing her education, her proficiency with the magic her mother taught her. His attention however, was drawn to her medical records. He recalled her saying that her persistent limp was due to an old injury. With curiosity that was laced with concern, he scrolled through the rather extensive collection of data. His eyes darted from left to right, eager for any information on the incident.

No such accident was recorded and Loki was beginning to get impatient. Surely she wouldn't lie to him? He did not think her capable of that.

The further he delved, the more he began to realise that the information given to him had been compiled backwards. Sighing with exasperation, he ran a tired hand down his face and blinked a few times before continuing.

It was indeed strange to him, reading about extensive treatments to an ailment that he did not know of. The frequency was alarming and they all sounded rather painful.

Many questions began to form in his mind, questions that were answered as he came to what ought to have been the very first page of the record. Hers had been a difficult birth, the labor itself lasted for three days. The medics had been close to operating on Scere when the child's head appeared. The report read that the child, a girl, had been born with legs that were of an unequal length, the right one being prominently shorter than the left. In addition to this, the child's jaw was severely asymmetrical.

His mind was shocked into silence as he continued to read, this time in order. While Scere had cast an illusion over her daughter, the medics had still insisted on possible treatments and surgeries that little Y/N would undergo. None of them seemed to help. Her back, as she grew, became twisted and caused her shoulders to grow uneven. Her crooked jaw resulted in her speech becoming almost indecipherable.

"It was not an injury that caused you to limp so," he whispered, a single tear tracing a path down his pale cheek. "Oh my darling."

Yet, as truly shocking this revelation was, nothing would have prepared him for the discovery that the medics had made when she was five standard years old.

"How is that possible?" He murmured to himself. Indeed, biologically, it made no sense. Yet there it was. Clearly stated and written as a caption beneath the scan that showed his disbelieving eyes that she was unable to bear children. She had been born without a womb.

Closing the records, Loki rose and left his office. He moved like a shadow through the passageways of _The Underworld_. Had those records been the reason she had refused his help? He could think of no other reason. His heart clenched painfully at the thought of her believing him to be repulsed by her true appearance. Who was he to judge? Especially when he himself used an illusion to keep an appearance that was outwardly pleasing.

Upon entering their shared chambers, he closed the door behind him and stood before the mirror she had covered. Now he knew why. His heart ached at the belief that she was repulsed by her own reflection, that she had been no doubt to do so. As he had been. Pulling the cloth away, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the illusion drop. Opening his eyes, his true form stared back at him. Ruby eyes in place of emerald green. The green of the plants she loved. Ivory skin was stained an azure blue with raised markings that were unique to him.

Did she think of herself as a monster, unworthy of affection as he did? Did she believe that?

Forcing himself to look at the mirror, Loki let out a shuddering sigh, the cracks in his heart growing at the mere thought of the suffering she had endured since birth. No doubt believing herself to be cursed. Ugly and misshapen. A creature hidden behind the intricacies of magic. Unable to give life as her mother had. Children that she had often spoken of having. A choked sob broke free, echoing in the empty room. The eyes reflected back at him swam with tears, ruby tears as his heart bled for her. For her broken dreams of a family she wished for.

"I love you," he whispered, summoning her image to the mirror. His voice trembled with emotion as he beheld his wife. Her image smiled at him, a smile that hid so many things from him. "That is why I chose you," he continued, "not because of your appearance, which I now know to be an illusion. But because I had fallen in love with you. None could ever live up to the standard you had unknowingly created in my heart. It was your kindness, your love for life and all its wonders that drew me to you."

Moving away from the mirror, he went to the wall of windows and looked down to the plant orbitting below them. "I ought to have told you sooner, but my heart would not allow me. For I do not expect you to love me back, after all I took you from everything you knew. You owe me nothing. Least of all your heart. It is yours to do with as you will and yet still, mine threatens to shatter at the mere thought of you giving it to another."

Swallowing thickly, he smiled sadly. "I love you, my precious one. Queen of my heart, for you took it with you when you left. Leaving me incomplete until your return." A brief pause followed his words as he placed a trembling hand on the glass. "Allow me to be selfish and hope that you will think of me, if only once."

Leaving the window, he made to leave the rooms when the bowl of pomegranates that stood by her side of the bed caught his eye. Should he dispose of them? He knew full well what the fruit stood for and no doubt she knew too.

No. He would leave them and leave the decision to her.

"You are stronger than I gave you credit for," he said softly. "Through all your pain and suffering, you remember the smile. You had me believe that your life had been very near to perfect, when indeed it has been laced with trials that any other would have fallen under. You are stronger than I, my love. You are the part of me that I never knew was missing but what I now know I cannot live without."

Upon leaving their rooms and returning to his office, he saw Minthe waiting for him and pieces from the requested collection arranged neatly on the conference table behind her.

They were elegant to be sure and deadly too. Specifically designed to be as lethal as possible. They each bore his seal, two interlocking snakes.

"I take it you are pleased with the selection my Lord?" Minthe asked, snapping him from his thoughts. "They believed these to be the best examples."

"Oh yes," Loki murmured, smiling slightly. "Yes, they are." Looking away from them, he met Minthe's jewel-like gaze. "The collection will finally fulfill the purpose I designed it for, especially when they are on the bodies of the most effective soldiers of any planet we have come across."

"My Lord?" Minthe was confused. The look in his eyes could only be described as calculating. As though he were already in the middle of a rather intricate plan.

Moving to stand behind his desk, Loki summoned Minthe to stand across from him. "Surely you have heard the rumours?"

"Rumours my Lord?"

"Yes. The ones concerning the Galactic Alliance in particular."

"Only faintly my Lord," she replied, crossing her arms. "But I pay little heed to gossip."

"In different times I would applaud such behaviour," her Lord said. "But now is not that time."

"The rumours are true then?" Minthe asked, not bothering to conceal her shock. "There is to be a war?"

"Not a war per se," Loki replied, sitting down and looking up at her. "More of a coup. Normally I would not allow us to engage in such activity, but this is no normal situation."

"Who is being overthrown?"

"Not who, more of a what," he said, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on them. "An entire race."

"Which race?" Minthe asked with no small amount of trepidation.

"My own," came the reply. "The one I was born into."

Minthe stared at him in horror. "You are planning to attack the Aesir? The realm that rules the known universe?"

Her Lord laughed then. It was a cold, cruel sound. "No no. The Realm Eternal is beyond my grasp. It is the realm of ice and snow that will fall. I believe you know of Jotunheim?"

Minthe nodded, looking down as she thought, the pieces slowly collecting in her mind, making the blood drain from her face. When at last she looked to him again, she gasped and stepped back. The beauty of her Lord had been replaced by the visage of another. An all together monstrous one. Red had replaced green and blue had stained ivory.

"You are one of them?" She whispered, horrified.

He smiled, showing fangs and blackened teeth. "Indeed I am and before you think of running and telling the rest of the ship's crew, I will tell you one thing." Stepping around the desk, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, his cold breath washing over her neck. "They know."


	13. The Queen's return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was the one that healed her- that made her scars feel beautiful.
> 
> ~ Atticus

Despite the tangible awkwardness that followed the incident months before, Y/N had made the most of her time at home. Herelion, despite his reluctance on the matter, had kept silent.

The months had flown by and soon she was faced with the tangible reality of having to leave once again. It would not be until nightfall, however, therefore giving her the entire day to spend as she pleased.

A fair had come into town, drawing Y/N's attention. Despite not having quite forgiven him for what he said, she insisted he come along. "It is my last day here," she had said, "and I would very much like to spend it with my best friend."

Herelion had perked up at her words. "Well, if you put it that way..."

Squealing with child-like excitement, she flung her arms around him in a quick hug before pulling him off the estate and towards the town. That was how they now came to be wandering the colourful stalls that seemed to display goods and trinkets from all corners of the known universe.

Herelion chuckled to himself as he watched her gravitate towards a stall that sold hanging crystals that shone in colours unknown to their world. Her attention soon appeared to be caught by a particular one, one that appeared to glow from the inside. A soft golden glow that reminded him of the sun in early Spring. He watched with a smile as she spoke with the stall's attendant who drew the crystal arrangement from its hook to wrap it for her.

When Y/N returned with her purchase, she was all smiles. The expression reached her eyes and made them sparkle.

"Don't you have enough crystals?" Herelion teased. "Your ceiling and windows are full of them."

"One can never have enough crystals," Y/N explained with a grin. Her expression then softened and her arms tightened minutely around the package. "And besides, it isn't for me."

"Naturally," he muttered under his breath. Though his mind did wonder as to what use _he _would have for crystals.

Choosing to ignore his comment, Y/N continued on her way through the stalls, stopping to admire trinkets and taste the odd bit of food here and there. Herelion had to admit it, despite all that had happened, she looked happy. Her soft laughs as she spoke with stall holders and the townspeople made him smile. This was where she belonged, out among people and under the sun and clear blue skies, her eyes catching on crystals.

In the flowing silk printed gown she wore and with a garland of flowers sitting amongst her h/c tresses, she looked to be the embodiment of spring. The season in which she had been born.

"Come on Herelion," she called, pulling from his thoughts, "there is still so much to see."

Shaking his head and chuckling softly he took her outstretched hand and followed her through the throngs until they came to an enclosure that was shaped like a dome. "What's this?" He asked, confused.

Y/N giggled and shrugged, "I don't really know," she replied, then squinting at the sign before them, she muttered to herself before speaking to Herelion again. "It appears to be some sort of observation dome."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No clue," she said, pulling him in, "but let's find out."

Curious, Herelion followed her in. The moment the door closed behind them, both gasped at the sight before them. It was the galaxy, with all its nebulas and stars and pillars of shimmering gas that seemed to fluctuate between colours.

"It is so beautiful," Y/N murmured, awestruck beside him and Herelion could do little but nod in agreement. Deep space was somewhere no one really ventured unless they had too. To see the wonders of such a beautifully dangerous place was breathtaking in itself.

A soft, almost wistful sigh drew his attention to Y/N, who was presently staring all around her, her eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears. "He would love this," she murmured, not meaning for Herelion to hear. "I wish he were here to see it."

Herelion knew it was rude to eavesdrop and as painful as it was to hear her say such words, he could not bring himself to leave.

A particular nebula caught her eye and Y/N resisted the urge to reach out and touch it. It was all a projection, yet it looked to real. The nebula was a stunning green and at times, blood red, the colours alternating and leaving her breathless.

"Y/N?" Herelion whispered her name, gaining her startled attention. "Let us go," he continued, "for the day is no longer so young."

"I suppose so," she replied, glancing one last time over her shoulder and smiled sadly before following Herelion out into the waning hours of the day.

"Come, let's get something to eat," Herelion suggested.

Y/N smiled at the suggestion and nodded eagerly.

As they wove their way between stalls, they eventually came to one which sat near a small field where lights had been strung through the trees. Y/N settled herself by a table while Herelion went to order their food. Resting her chin on her hand, she watched a group of couples dancing nearby. Soft yet lively music filled the air along with the scent of the jasmine hedge that grew near them.

Y/N barely noticed it when Herelion returned, her mind elsewhere. It was the smell of the food that drew her from her thoughts and back to her friend. The food was delicious and before long, it had been inhaled by both.

"Where were you when I came back?" Herelion whispered.

Y/N hummed happily. "I was just watching them," she explained, gesturing to the dancing couples.

"Would you like too?" Herelion asked, suddenly nervous, "dance, I mean?"

It only took her a moment before she replied. "I would love that."

Standing up and offering his hand, Herelion smiled down at her.

Taking her precious package with her, Y/N took his hand and followed him to where the other couples were.

The music surrounded them as they swayed to the soft tunes, letting the atmosphere guide them more than the music.

Resting his chin atop Y/N's head, Herelion smiled as he held her close. Even if she would never be his, at least he would have these moments, something _he _wouldn't and Herelion felt a strange joy in that.

Sighing contentedly, Y/N leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She smiled softly at the thought of the gift, safely tucked against her. "I hope you'll like it," she said quietly, for beneath her cheek there was now soft leather that enveloped her in a scent that reminded her of fresh mountain air and pine trees. Looking up, she saw him smiling down at her and she felt her heart smile back. "Loki," she whispered, a hint of longing in her voice. "My love."

It was different knowing how she felt to hearing her say it. It was plain as day, the way she looked up at him and how she spoke his name. She was not seeing him, Herelion, but her husband.

Stumbling out of her arms, Herelion saw her blink and seem to come back to the present. The hurt he felt was overwhelming.

"Herelion?" She said, looking at him confused. "Is everything alright?"

"I knew it," he spat, his blue eyes like ice.

"Knew what?"

"That you love him!"

Y/N reeled back at the venom in the words and stared at him, shocked. "You make it sound like a crime," she whispered, eyes brimming.

"So you admit it then?"

"Why should I hide it?" She shot back, "it is nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, Herelion, I love my husband. I shall no longer deny it, for goodness-knows I've done that for long enough."

"I cannot believe I'm hearing this," Herelion murmured, shaking his head. "I can't."

"You had better," Y/N hissed, "because it is the reality. Now, if you don't mind, I shall be heading back to the house, there are a few things I need to do before I go."

~ ~ ~

The whole ship was on alert as the shuttle approached.

Dressed in his customary black and green, Loki stood as though to attention in the hanger bay. The six months were over at last and she was returning home. His eyes focused on the approaching craft as it flew into the bay and docked not far from where he stood, Minthe beside him.

Rahl disembarked first and opened the doors to the shuttle, pulling out a short series of steps. Loki held his breath for what felt like an eternity. Then he saw her, using Rahl's offered hand as assistance. By the stars she was more beautiful than when she had left. Her sky blue gown swirled around her as she moved. It was only once she had set both feet on the ground that she looked up.

A shy smile curved her lips when she saw him and as she moved to stand before him. Oh how he longed to take her in his arms and hold her close.

"Hello," she said softly, fidgeting with the parcel she carried.

"Hello," he replied, allowing a small smile.

A short silence followed before she stepped forward and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close and burying her face in his shoulder.

As if on instinct, Loki responded with an embrace of his own. He clutched her as close as he dared. Her actions surprised him, pleasantly so. "You came back," he murmured.

"Of course I did," she replied, equally as soft before drawing back to look up at him.

"You're wearing it," he said in a voice of wonder.

Seeing where his eyes were, Y/N nodded and absently reached up to hold it. "Everyday," she replied, smiling.

"Come," he said, offering her his arm.

Taking his arm, Y/N followed him through the familiar hallways of _The Underworld._

The silence that had settled between them was only broken once they had entered their rooms. It was Loki who broke it. "I missed you, dearest."

"Would you believe me if I told you I felt the same?" Y/N said, smiling. Pausing, she looked down at what she held before meeting his gaze once more. "I got you something," she whispered, suddenly feeling shy.

"You did?"

She nodded and held it out to him. "I saw it and it made me think that perhaps you would like something too, to remember me by."

"Oh dearest," he said, voice heavy with emotion. "I need no material things to remember you by."

"Please?"

Nodding, Loki took the offered package and unwrapped it. His breath caught when an arrangement of golden crystals was revealed. Quickly realising they were meant to hang, he lifted them. As the crystals reformed into the original shape, he saw the crystals glow of their own accord.

"It's like the sun," came her soft explanation. "The crystals glow like that naturally."

Loki turned to her with tears in his eyes.

"Now you can have the sun too," she continued, finally meeting his gaze. "To think of me, when I am not here."

Loki could think of no words, at least no intelligible ones. It was beyond beautiful, even more so when he held it up to the light and watched the glow grow.

"Do you like it?"

Gently laying her gift on the bed, he approached her and took both her hands, which he noticed to be trembling. "I shall cherish it always," he said earnestly.

The look in her eyes was one of utmost relief and she sighed, subtly moving to lace their fingers together, an action he did not miss. "I'm glad."

"May I ask a favour of you?" Loki asked, smoothing his thumb over what skin he could reach.

Y/N nodded. "Of course."

Swallowing past the sudden lump in his throat, Loki took a deep breath. The nature of his favour was a delicate one. "I would ask you not to hide from me."

Y/N was confused by his request. "But I am not, I am right here."

Loki shook his head and smiled sadly. Saying nothing, he stepped away from her and moved to pull the sheet away that covered the mirror.

On instinct she turned away. "No," she whispered, a pleading tone entering her voice. "Please."

His heart broke at how vulnerable she sounded. "Please," he said softly, "I know everything, dear heart."

She laughed then, still not turning around. "And now you want to see it too?" She asked, the words lacking the vitriol she was hoping for. Instead it shook terribly.

"Yes."

"I can't," Y/N shook her head. "I can't."

"Oh my dearest," he said gently, walking to stand before her. "Is it that your reflection repulses you? That you think of yourself as cursed whenever you see that part of you?"

She nodded, looking up at him with something akin to wonder in her eyes. "How would you know such a thing?" She whispered.

"Because I too know what it is like to have to hide," Loki replied. After a pause an idea sparked in his mind. "Would it perhaps make you feel a little more comfortable if I showed you mine first?"

Y/N thought for a moment before nodding.

Taking a breath and closing his eyes, he let the illusion drop. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Y/N stare at him and he prepared himself for the inevitable screams of terror. But none came. The look in her eyes was one of wonder and admiration.

"Your eyes," she murmured, "my mother has roses of the exact same shade. They have the most beautiful scent and are said to symbolise true passionate love." The smile she sent him was warm. "And your skin," she continued in the same soft tone, her hands fluttering lightly over his arms. "Is the same colour as the periwinkle flower I grow in the garden below my rooms, they symbolise everlasting love and are among my favourite flowers."

Loki simply stared at her. Something that was soon noticed by her.

"What?" She said softly, "has no one ever told you this before? Has no one ever told you how beautiful you are when you look like this?"

Loki shook his head. "No."

"Well, you are," she said, trying to sound firm but failing as tears came to her eyes. "And the coolness of your skin reminds me of the spring in my mother's greenhouse. I would go there on warm days to cool myself." The tears spilled over and she did not bother to brush them away. "That is what you are, Loki. My spring on a hot day, my oasis." With trembling hands, she reached up to cup his face. "_Umbra mea." _

"What does that mean?" He asked in a trembling whisper.

"My shade," she whispered, "that language is considered dead. But I do not believe that."

"Your shade," he repeated her words and smiled shyly at her. 

Y/N gasped softly at the sight of his teeth. "Oh," she breathed, "I have heard of diamonds being able to be that dark."

"My teeth make you think of diamonds?" He asked, surprised.

Y/N nodded. "Indeed. But I have yet to see them."

"Now that you have seen me, dear heart, may I see you?"

Y/N swallowed hard and took a series of trembling breaths. "Please do not make me look in the mirror," she begged him.

Loki shook his head. "You need not if you do not wish too."

Closing her eyes, she clenched her jaw and held still as the illusion faded.

"Open your eyes dear heart," Loki said softly.

Daring to do so, Y/N prepared herself for the looks of pity she would no doubt receive. But none such came, nor ones of revulsion and horror.

There was only love in the eyes that looked back at her. "You are beautiful," he told her. "Your pain and suffering has made you so." Taking one of her hands, he held it within his blue ones.

"Please," she tried to say, shaking her head, but her jaw mangled even that word.

"I do not lie to you," Loki continued, one hand coming to cup her uneven jaw. "While the illusion was indeed very beautiful, I prefer this version of you. For this your true self, the one that has borne suffering since her birth and has survived despite it all."

An ugly sob broke from her crooked lips, one that soon became muffled as Loki gathered her close. His hands ran gently over her twisted spine and uneven shoulders. Holding her to his heart, he let her weep. Her tears freezing as they landed on him.

"You need not hide with me, my love," he murmured into her hair, kissing her crown. "For I love you as you were born, not as others would have you be."

Hiccuping, she looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. "You love me?" She fervently hoped he could understand her.

He did. "I do," he replied, "I have for some time now."

"I-" she began, reaching up to cup his jaw. "I love you too."

His heart leapt within him at her words. "You do?"

Y/N nodded and rested her head on his chest, his arms still around her. "I only realised it today."

Loki said nothing. His arms slightly tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before nuzzling into her hair. "We make quite the pair, don't we?"

Y/N giggled and nodded before turning in his arms to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck and bowing her body against his. Loki responded in kind by deepening the kiss and lifting her and spinning her 'round so that her sky blue gown flared out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umbra mea = my shade.
> 
> Translated from Latin.


	14. Words of glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Words have scratched more hearts than swords. 
> 
> ~ Atticus

Loki never considered the universe as particularly beautiful, not until now. Sitting by the wall of windows in their chambers with his wife cradled against him, he listened with a soft smile to the stories she told of her travels with her mother. With her words she brought imagery of entire worlds to life, her hands gesturing to better illustrate what she was saying.

Worlds that he himself had not yet seen, worlds he did not know existed. All brought into existence by her recollections.

Absently twirling a strand of her hair, Loki gazed down at her. She had reverted back to the illusion, not feeling comfortable enough to be without it yet. Her admission of love had shaken him, almost convincing him that it was yet another dream. But here she was, her head leaning against his chest, right above his heart, with one arm curled loosely around his waist.

"When your contract with my father has ended," she was saying, drawing him from his contemplations, "I would very much like to show you those worlds," her words were followed by a wistful sigh as she burrowed further into him.

"We can go anywhere you desire my love," he replied, kissing her crown.

The smile she gave him reminded him of the sun he had not seen for quite some time. "My love," she repeated the endearment softly, her eyes shining with happy tears.

"Yes," he murmured, cupping her face with both hands and kissing his forehead to hers. "You are my love. My life and my very soul. My heart's dearest. My precious one."

"Even as I truly am?" She asked, voice trembling.

"You know the answer to that one, angel," he replied, kissing her nose, earning a watery laugh. "You bare no deformities in my eyes. Only markings that tell stories of strength and survival. You are unique, my darling," he said, gently lifting her chin so their gazes met. "And I would not have you in any other way."

"Even-" she began but cut herself off as a sob wracked through her. Attempting to calm herself, she kept her eyes downcast. "I cannot-" she tried again but was unsuccessful as her emotions took over. "I am unable to-" she tried yet again, but failed as her throat closed over the words.

Heart breaking over her distress, Loki drew her close, tucking her head into his shoulder. He knew what she was valiantly attempting to say. "Bear children," he finished her sentence softly.

Y/N looked up at him, shock clear in her e/c eyes. "How do you know that?"

"The same way I discovered everything else, my darling," he replied, gently wiping her tears away. "Your medical history."

Looking down, she closed her eyes, letting one fresh tear escape. "You know everything then, don't you?"

"Indeed," he murmured.

"Then how can you still bare to touch me?" She asked, still looking down, twisting her hands together. "Knowing this? That you will never have children of your own because of me."

Sighing, Loki brought her forlorn gaze to his and smiled gently. With one hand he reached up and smoothed the hair away from her face and leaning forward to kiss away the solitary tear. "The same way you can still bare to touch me," he whispered, "after seeing me for what I truly am."

"But you are beautiful," she protested softly, no real argument in her voice. "There is nothing wrong with you."

"There we are then," he replied winking at her.

"But-" her next words were silenced as he kissed her, soft yet deep. Tender and passionate.

"There is no but," he whispered as they parted. "It is not your fault as to how you were born. I know you dreamt of having children my love, so who knows? They say the future is unpredictable for a reason."

"Not _that _unpredictable," she muttered.

"Then perhaps it is time you met my mother," Loki said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Your mother?" Y/N gasped, this was the first time he had spoken of any members of his family, let alone his parents. "Why? Are you sure? Does she know?"

Loki shook his head, laughing softly. "To answer your questions in order, because I believe it will be good for you both to meet. Of course I am sure darling, I know it is a big step, but I have met your parents, so it is only right that you meet my mother. And no, she doesn't, but my instincts tell me that she will take very kindly to you."

Y/N was silent as she began to mull over his words.

"It needn't be today or even this week," Loki assured her. "Just know that I very much look forward to it."

"Does your mother have magic like you do?"

He nodded. "Who do you think taught me? She is one of the most powerful wielders I know."

Y/N smiled faintly at his words and at the clear fondness in his eyes when he spoke of her. "What is she like? Your mother."

Tucking his wife close to him and leaning back against the wall, Loki sighed. "She is very wise. She often knows more than she lets on, there is that way about her that alarms those that do not know her."

"Will she know about me then?" Y/N asked in a small voice. "And about all _that?"_

"I cannot say," her husband replied, his tone thoughtful.

"She must be very beautiful," Y/N murmured.

Loki cocked an eyebrow in amused curiosity. "While that is certainly true, whatever made you say that?"

"Well," sudden shyness overcame her and she felt her cheeks bloom with heat. Biting her bottom lip, she glanced up at him through her lashes. "She has you for a son, doesn't she?"

It became one of those rare moments that Loki found himself at a loss for words. He could do nothing but stare at his wife, who was looking at him with nothing but honesty in those enchanting eyes of hers.

"Loki?"

The sound of his name brought the ability to speak along with it. Shaking his head, he coughed lightly and felt the beginnings of a shy smile. "You certainly have a way with words, darling. And to think that they call _me_ the Silvertongue."

"Oh hush you," she whispered, snuggling into him. "It is the truth. But now I see that your beauty comes from within you. From your heart."

"It does, does it?" Loki murmured, thinking back to Minthe's reaction. She certainly didn't think so.

Humming in agreement, Y/N sighed happily.

"Yours does too, angel," Loki informed her, nuzzling her hair. "Even more so than mine. For it is that beauty I fell in love with, not with how magic made you appear."

"I will start crying if you keep talking like that," Y/N warned him in a soft tone.

"I would have you smile instead," Loki replied, bringing up her hand that bore the ring and tenderly kissed the back of it. "Laughing too. You deserve to be happy."

"As do you," Y/N breathed, turning in his arms to face him.

"Will you dance with me then?"

"What? Here and now?" Y/N asked, laughing, "but there is no music."

"Easily remedied my love," Loki replied, standing up and offering a hand for her to take. "Now, how would you like to dance among the stars?"

Y/N burst out laughing and took his hand. "I would dance anywhere, so long as you are there with me," she said, her laughter fading into a smile.

Then, with a single wave of his free hand, Loki transformed their chambers into the endless expanse of space, stars glittering around them. His heart leapt at her awestruck gasp and wide eyes.

"I have no words for this," she whispered, turning to look at him once more. "Truly."

Drawing her close, Loki leaned down and whispered in her ear, "the stars pale in comparison to you, my love."

Shaking her head, she ducked her head and bit her lip to keep from smiling too widely.

"Now I believe music is in order." No sooner had he spoken when a sweet melody began to play, lilting and twirling through the air.

Y/N was speechless, even as they began to sway in time to the tune. While she had danced with Herelion, it had felt nothing like this, magic aside.

"May I see you?" Loki asked softly, his words whispering into her ear and down her neck. "The real you?"

Y/N paused for a moment before nodding and closing her eyes, letting the illusion drop.

"There you are," he breathed, as though in wonder.

Meeting his eyes, Y/N found her breath stolen from her. The sheer amount of love in his eyes was disarming. She attempted a smile, just a little one. She became all too aware of her shoulders when he bent to press a kiss to them. The tenderness in that small action brought stinging tears to her eyes.

Unheard by both, Minthe stood by the entrance to their rooms, data files in hand. She had come looking for her Lord, having been directed to their shared chambers.

She recalled skimming over the information she had given him before handing it over. Y/N's deformities had stood out to her and made her smile viciously. But now, seeing them before her, being tenderly worshiped as though she were some goddess, it made Minthe feel physically ill and violently, horrendously jealous.

How was it possible that someone as perfect as he would love someone, nay _something _like that? Minthe recalled the incident in his office all those months ago and shuddered. Fortunately, her mind had convinced her that she merely dreamed it. There was no way that her Lord, her beautiful Lord, could possibly be one of those hideous monsters.

_'Is it not enough that she looks like that?' _Minthe thought to herself, recoiling at the memory of discovering Y/N's permanent state of barrenness and infertility.

It was strange, her inability to move from where she stood. Minthe would have liked nothing better than to turn and run in the opposite direction. That ought to have been her, swaying in his arms while he mapped her shoulders and neck with his mouth. That should have been her, holding onto him and sighing in blissful contentment.

"You are my strength," he whispered to her, to Y/N, loud enough for Minthe to hear. "My weakness. My fury and my peace."

Minthe was seeing red now. The edges of her vision pulsed in time with her heart. He should be saying those words to her. He should be looking at her with the unguarded adoration that followed his words. Not Y/N. Never her.

Blinking and furiously shaking her head, Minthe attempted to calm herself. Upon refocusing her eyes, she looked straight ahead, her jaw falling open and the data files crashing to the ground.

In the place of her Lord stood that monster from her dream. His attention was on the woman before him, as were his lips as she kissed him and he her.

"I'm dreaming," Minthe muttered to herself, looking away. "I must be."

"Oh no," came a voice she knew all too well. "It is all quite real."

"My Lord?" She managed to say, swallowing hard. There he was, standing before her, Y/N at his side. The woman smiled pleasantly at her, her jaw even and her shoulders too.

"I will forgive this intrusion just this once," Loki said to her, green eyes hardening. "May it serve as a reminder."

"A reminder?" She squeaked out, cringing at the sound of her voice.

"Of your place," her Lord explained. "You are my treasurer."

Minthe felt her eyes widen at the clear absence of her other title. "Am I not your advisor too, my Lord?" She asked softly.

Loki shook his head. "No. You have shown yourself to be incapable of seeing beyond what any eye can see. I required someone who is capable of such a task."

"May I ask who will be replacing me?" Minthe asked, her eyes inadvertently going to Y/N, who stood passively at her husband's side. "Assuming that the position has not yet been filled."

"Oh but it has," he replied. "It was filled yesterday, upon my wife's return."

"Who is it?" She asked quietly, hoping she didn't sound too impatient.

Loki smiled at her question and turned to his wife, the expression softening. "Who better to advise a King, than his Queen?"

"I would be honoured," Y/N replied, smiling back at him, fully aware of Minthe's stare burning into her. "My liege."

Loki grinned adoringly at her and dismissing Minthe with an absent wave of his hand. "That will be all, thank you Minthe. My Queen and I have business to be getting on with."

All but thrown out the door, Minthe hissed at the closed mahogany. Gathering her scattered information, she hurried down the hall, eager to get away before the inevitable sounds started. But alas, her trembling legs would not carry her fast enough. Soon she heard them and they seared their way into her brain and burned themselves into her memory, incapable of being erased.


	15. Invasion of Privacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And he looked at her and caught her eyes and said I love you dear so very madly.
> 
> ~ Atticus

They came silently and like shadows they crept through _The Underworld. _They had but one destination in mind. Their orders were clear.

The doors to the chambers presented less of an obstacle than they had planned for. The towering doors swung open almost silently to reveal a room bathed in soft moonlight. Everything the light touched turned silver. Turning to their left, they saw her. Their target.

In any other circumstance it would have painted a tranquil picture. One of peace and bliss. They lay tangled together, her head on his chest with one arm wrapped loosely around his waist. Her hair was loose and free of any restraints as it fanned out over her shoulders. One pale arm lay draped over her shoulder, while the other was flung out to the side, palm facing up.

She snuffled lightly in her sleep, making them all too aware of the near-crushing silence in the suite of rooms. They had been told she was a light sleeper and that the slightest noise would have her alert and wide-eyed.

This presented more of a challenge than they had anticipated. They could not move one without waking the other.

It was likely that he would put up a fight should he be made aware of what was happening and that was something they could not risk. They knew first hand of what he was capable of and they highly doubted that being half-asleep would hinder him.

Swallowing hard, they looked to each other and nodded. There was only one way this could be done and it wouldn't be pretty. Separating, each moved to stand at either side of the bed and silently counted to three before springing into action.

One moment she had been peacefully asleep, curled against Loki. The next, she was being forcefully pulled from the bed, a gloved hand covering her mouth silencing any screams of surprise. Her eyes immediately went to her husband, who presently had a second attacker pinned to the wall by his throat.

Instinct taking over, Y/N bit down, her teeth clamping hard on the hand on her mouth. The moment her attacker let go with a muffled curse, she took her chance and made for Loki.

His outstretched hand was so close and she would have taken it had two arms not wound around her waist to haul her backwards. Away from him.

"If you know what's good for you," Loki warned their attackers in a voice that sounded a touch too calm. "Then you will release my wife."

"No," said a voice from behind her. It sounded distinctly male and held an accent she wasn't too familiar with. "I don't think we will," at his words, she began to thrash in earnest. Her hands clawed at the arms that held her, her nails failing to find purchase.

Horror washed through her as she caught sight of a syringe-like instrument. It was held by the man Loki currently had pinned to the wall. "Loki watch out!" She cried, seeing the man aim for her husband.

Turning at her words, he saw it only a moment too late and grunted in pain as the needle pierced his skin.

A shrill cry of denial flew from her lips as she watched Loki stumble back, hissing in pain before crumbling to the ground. "NO! Loki-" her cry was roughly interrupted as her captor silenced her with a crude excuse for a gag. The fabric was rough and dug into her skin as it was secured behind her head. Her struggles only increased and her cries came as muffled as she watched him, trembling violently on the floor, short uneven gasps coming in place of steady breaths.

"Poison," her captor whispered in her ear as he began to pull her struggling form away. "From the Fire Lily."

Y/N's eyes widened. While beautiful, that flower brought more pain that pleasure. To touch its petals was like to burn one's hand. And it's nectar was like liquid fire. Violently shaking her head, Y/N blinked rapidly to keep the sudden tears from falling.

"It will paralyse him," her captor explained, his voice barely audible as the blood rushed in her ears. "At least until we've managed to get you off the ship."

With those words, he hauled her from the room, his companion following close behind.

By all the gods it burned! It seared like fire through him, leaving room for little else aside from a blinding, searing pain. He became only vaguely aware of Y/N calling for him, her voice trembling and bordering on hysterical. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her close, but the poison would not let him move even an inch without burning.

His vision blurred at the edges as his heart raced within him, his body fighting to keep him cool and to drive the poison out. Had he not been writhing in agony, he would have followed, tearing them away from her and fight them with his bare fists if that's what it came to.

Theseus and Pirinthous. The not-quite-identical twin brothers were a constant thorn in his side. So this is what they had sunk to? Kidnapping his wife for leverage? Grunting in pain, Loki forced himself to stand. He could not let them take her off the ship, or anywhere for that matter.

"I am coming my darling," he whispered, stumbling to the chamber door and wrenching it open. "Keep fighting. Don't give up dear heart."

And fight she did. Furious and scared, she behaved as though possessed. Screaming her husband's name through the gag, she clawed at the masked faces of her would-be kidnappers. Her wild movements and flailing limbs made it difficult for them to hold her still.

"Stop struggling," the one that held her hissed. "You are only making this worse for yourself."

Stubbornly refusing to listen, Y/N began hurling muffled insults and profanities his way. Her language was far from what was considered appropriate, but she could not have cared less in that moment.

In her struggles, her nightgown had torn. The garment now sported a rather large tear along the right side. From her knee and all the way to just below her ribs. The already sheer fabric had left little to the imagination.

She could feel them staring. The right side of her was practically on full display, as she had forgone the use of undergarments that night. Loki had insisted upon it and she had been all too happy to oblige. Had her arms not been pinned, she would have frantically brought the torn fabric together. More out of pride than embarrassment. She would allow no one but her husband to look at her in such a state of undress.

Y/N felt her voice grow hoarse and her throat felt dry and scratchy.

"Almost there," the other one muttered, sounding much too relieved for Y/N's liking.

"Make sure we're ready to take off the moment we board."

A murmured agreement came from the other as he touched an earpiece and muttered something in a language she didn't understand.

Who were these people? She had never seen their kind before and had no clue as to their race. Their skin was a dark blue and patterned with a paler blue. It would have been beautiful had she not been concentrating on trying to get free.

The moment they entered the hangar bay, the harsh and grating sound of the ship-wide alarm sounded. The entire hangar was filled with a pulsing red light and it was the most beautiful sight she could imagine seeing.

Her captor swore under his breath and picked up the pace.

The shields were being erected, she knew that now. Shields that would prevent the entry and exit of anyone. That meant only one thing and Y/N allowed herself a small smile. He was alright, and he was coming for her.

Taking advantage of her torn gown and the freedom it offered the movement of her right leg, Y/N hooked it back around his thigh. The sudden movement caused him to stumble, allowing Y/N to yank her arms free and bring them forward as she braced her fall.

"Oh no you don't," the alien muttered, making a grab for her.

Deftly rolling away and dodging the desperate grasp of his companion, Y/N pushed herself to her feet and pulled the gag down. "LOKI!" She screamed, her sore throat protesting as she continued to call for him. So, she began to run as she had never run before. Adrenaline rushed through her. She could hear the two behind her and saw that the hangar entrance was only a short distance away.

"LOKI!"

The nearness of the scream had him run all the faster, it was coming from the main hangar bay. The poison was a dull ache in his system and prevented him from moving as gracefully as he normally would have done.

Soon the entrance loomed before him. "Y/N!" He called, desperation leaking into his voice. "Y/N?"

She almost stumbled with relief at the sound of his voice calling her name. Then she saw him, still clad in what he had worn to bed. A simple pair of dark green trousers that brushed his ankles. "Loki," she breathed, panting as she ran.

Seeing her run towards him ought to have made him smile. Yet the sight of her torn nightgown and the twins close behind her made his blood boil. For the first time in a long while, his own magic surged to life within him, begging to be let loose. To cause havoc like it used to.

But he would not risk her. If those loathsome twins had dared to touch her as he feared they had, there would be hell to pay.

Instead, he ran to her, extending a hand towards her own outstretched one. She was so close. Any minute now, she would be safe in his arms, curled against him.

But just as she was about the make the last, short distance between them, two sets of arms pulled her back. They did not bother with the gag this time, they simply pulled her away, reaching for him and calling his name, her hands grabbing only the empty air between them.

His breathing sounded harsh and hacking in his ears as he sprinted towards the retreating trio. Their ship was close by and the shields had not reached the main hangar. The boarding ramp was lowered the moment they neared it. Y/N's screams only grew in volume. "LOKI!"

"Y/N!" He cried, cursing the poison for slowing him down. She was fighting harder than ever as they pulled her up the boarding ramp.

She put up as much resistance as she could. The boarding ramp was rough below her bare feet. The ridged metal dug into the soles and made her grimace more than once. Her heart leapt into her throat the moment they released her. The ramp was closing. Rushing the door, she began to climb, only to be pulled back down. "LOKI!!" She screamed, pounding her fists against the metal, bruising her hands. "LOKI!"

Stumbling to a halt, Loki looked up at the craft and closed his eyes, calling his magic forth. Throwing it forward, he took hold of the ramp and began to pull it back down and soon her tear streaked face became visible. The sight of her tears tore at his heart, as did the fragile hope before his strength failed him and the boarding ramp closed.

Y/N slammed herself into the metal door and screamed. Her heart leapt painfully within her as she heard him call her name. The gentle hum of the ship's engines had her claw at the metal as though she could scratch her way out. "LOKI!" She cried before her voice broke and she collapsed to her knees, "my love," she whispered hoarsely.

_"Darling listen to me."_

Y/N gasped at the sound of his voice and the nearness of it. "Loki?" She rasped.

_"I need you to listen to me," _he continued and soon Y/N realised what was going on. His voice was in her _mind. _He was in her head.

"I'm listening," she murmured, casting a worried glance towards her kidnappers. At present they seemed more concerned with piloting the ship.

_"Excellent," _he praised and she could hear his smile. _"I am coming for you my love."_

"Promise?" She asked in a small voice.

_"I swear it," _he replied. _"I will find you. We will be together again soon."_

Y/N smiled at that and leaned her head against the metal. "I love you," she whispered and felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

_"And I, you," _he said softly, _"my existence would mean little without you."_

Y/N clung to the memory of his voice as her eyes drifted closed. She was so very tired and she was sure that she looked a mess. What with her clothing torn and her hair wild and face streaked with tears.

Who were these people that they would snatch her away like this? Did Loki know them? Did they know him?

Her eyes snapped open as she felt the ship touch down. Standing up, she made ready to run, as unsteady as her legs were. The moment the boarding ramp began to lower, she took a deep breath and let it shudder out of her.

When at last it was lowered all the way, she bolted, only to crash into two people that had started to make their way up the ramp. Stumbling back, she rubbed her head and felt two very familiar hands reach out to steady her. Swallowing hard, she looked up and met two pairs of eyes. One pair were the most stunning shade of fuschia, while the other pair was a startling shade of blue.

"Mother?" She choked out, "Herelion?"

The pair smiled softly at her. "Welcome home darling," Scere replied, smoothing away her daughter's tears.

Y/N flinched away from her mother's touch. "It was you?" She gasped out, her throat burning with every word. "You sent them?"

Scere nodded. "Indeed I did."

"But why?"

"Because this is where you belong," Herelion spoke up, stepping a little closer. "This is your home. Not that place, a realm of darkness. You belong in the light, here with us."

Y/N shook her head and backed away from them, her vision clouding with tears. "I was so scared," she whimpered, "woken up like that, with a hand over my mouth."

Scere sighed and stepped forward, "believe me, if there had been another way, we would have found it."

"No," she said softly, looking up to meet their eyes. "You could have waited, as was the agreement."

"Are you not pleased to be home?" Herelion asked, confused.

"I was home," came the whispered reply.

"You cannot possibly mean that?" Scere gasped, a hand over her heart.

"But I do," Y/N replied. "I was happy too."

Aghast, Scere turned away.

"Can you hear me?" Y/N whispered, hoping fervently that whatever connection he had forged was not broken.

_"Of course I can, love," _he replied.

"It was my mother," she whispered. "She sent them."

_"What?" _Loki hissed.

"I'm on my birth planet," Y/N said quietly as she turned from where Herelion and her mother huddled. Missing however, how they began to turn back to her.

_"I would have torn the galaxy apart to find you," _he swore, making her laugh softly.

"Thankfully you don't need to," she replied, smiling faintly.

"Who are you speaking with?" Scere demanded upon hearing her daughter speak in hushed tones even though there was no one there to listen to her.

Y/N met her mother's gaze unflinchingly. "My husband."

"Your husban-" Scere cut herself off and swore under breath. "Bloody hell. Do not tell me that he has managed somehow to worm his way inside your mind?"

"And if he has?"

"Then our task has just become significantly more difficult," Scere replied before looking to Herelion. "She is in no state to walk. Carry her back to the house if you will and get the maids to clean her up. There is much work to be done."

"Work?" Y/N repeated, she didn't like that look in her mother's eyes. "What is that supposed to mean? Mother?"

Scere smiled grimly. "We have to get him out." When Y/N canted her head in confusion, she continued. "We must erase his presence from your mind."

"What?" Y/N gasped, stumbling even further away from them. "You can't do that."

"Yes we can," Herelion replied and approached her.

Then darkness overcame her and the scent of her mother's strongest sedative.


	16. Fragile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Give them your past, take your future. 
> 
> ~ Atticus

She woke to a pounding headache. It could not have been from the sedative. Her eyes widened as she remembered what had transpired. Loki. They had been forcibly separated by none other than her mother and the man who had once claimed to love her, her best friend.

_'I have to get out of here,' _she thought, turning her head to the side. _'But just where am I?' _She did not recognise her surrounds. She was laying on a sterile bed, the pillows soft beneath her head and the blankets felt as though they were weighing her down. Moving to throw the blankets off, she slid from the bed, almost stumbling as she did so. How long had she been asleep for her legs to loose their strength?

Looking down, she saw that she wore a simple gown, pale yellow in colour. Her mother's favourite colour. Pulling at the fabric, she felt her lips curl into a sneer. The sleeves were long and hugged her arms down to the wrists. The bottom of the gown brushed her ankles and the neckline itched where it brushed under her chin.

In a panic, her hands flew to her neck and felt a spark of relief when she felt the shape of the emerald star beneath the fabric. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to breathe. She willed her racing heart to calm as her fingers curled around the pendant.

Opening her eyes, she looked up and took stock of her surroundings. The room she was in was barely furnished and bore no recognisable decorations. Was she in the family manor or somewhere else entirely? She made for the door the moment she saw it. Gripping the handle firmly, she twisted it and pulled. It was locked. A humourless laugh left her lips. She ought to have expected this. Her mother would not have made it this easy.

She would not give up. Taking a deep breath, she called her magic to her. She felt it gather in her palms, the sensation was comforting and sent a feeling of warmth throughout her. It had been sometime since she had last used it for anything other than maintaining her illusions.

The door remained locked. Was her magic not strong enough? Had her mother's sedative dulled that too? Again she tried, and again the door remained firmly closed. A scream of frustration tore from her throat, one that was echoed by her husband onboard his ship.

Scere watched her daughter, Herelion beside her. Through an unseen camera, they watched her. They had seen the relief on her face when she had found the necklace, how her legs had nearly given way beneath her as she stood for the first time in three days.

"She will go mad," Herelion murmured. "If she is kept like this for much longer, she will go mad."

"No she won't," Scere replied confidently.

"How so?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She will not be kept there for much longer," her mother said. "Now that she has awoken and is aware of the fact that she is powerless to leave, our work can begin."

"What if he should come for her?"

Scere scowled before schooling her features and lifting her chin. "By the time we are through with her, he will mean nothing to her. Let him come, for he will come for a wife who no longer knows him."

~ ~ ~

_The Underworld_ echoed with his scream. No one dared approach him. His magic, for the first time in centuries, had been let loose. It wreaked havoc around him and all but tore the hangar bay to shreds. He was there, at the centre of it all.

The ship's inhabitants knew well their Lord's power and both feared and admired it in equal measure.

Only Minthe dared to enter. Only she braved the danger of the maelstrom he had created and knelt by his side. "My Lord?" She whispered, resting a light hand on his bare shoulder. "My Lord?"

He did not answer, not at first. Though a storm raged around them, his breathing was calm and he was still. Or so she thought. When at last he looked up at her, it was with the eyes of his birth form. The red was at odds with his pale skin and made Minthe flinch. They were narrowed and quickly reminded her of a serpent.

With a clawed hand, he removed her hand as though it had burnt him. "Do not touch me," he hissed. It was then that she realised how furious he really was. Around them, the storm calmed and the hangar fell into an eerie quiet.

Minthe remained where she was, even as he stood and looked around him. "By all the gods and the accursed hand of fate, I will find her," he swore. "I will find her," he repeated, softer the second time.

With a small gesture of his hand, he was fully dressed. His customary green and black leathers rippled as he moved. His long strides soon taking him from the destroyed hangar. Minthe stared after him. She had never seen him like this, not in the long years she had faithfully served him. It seemed as though she had truly underestimated him and feared what he would do should he discover her part in all this.

Swallowing nervously, she pushed herself to her feet and immediately called for the maintenance crew to come to the hangar. Smoothing her hair, she too departed. Ought she to go in search for him? Yet it was the fear she had felt upon seeing those red eyes that halted her.

Deep into the ship's bowels he went. To a place he had not visited since his marriage to Y/N. Where once a garden had brought him peace, now she had taken its place. But now she had been taken from him. The storm in his heart had not abated. Nor would it, not until he held her in his arms once more.

The doors to the cavern garden yawned opened before him and closed soundlessly behind him as he crossed the threshold. _"__Eiríni," _he murmured as he walked towards the centre tree. _"Iremía."_

Kneeling at its roots, he looked up into its blossoming branches. He had created this place out of the need to feel even a sliver of peace. Bracing his hands on the roots, he took a heaving breath and let it shudder out of him.

"The universe it seems," he said softly as he leaned against the tree, his cheek resting against the smooth bark. Feeling all it's bumps and knots. "Is most intent on taking you from me. On taking from me the first peace I have felt in so long."

His sigh echoed softly in the cavern.

"I know you have been here," he murmured, letting one hand rest against the tree. "I am glad of it. I would have shown it to you myself. But you found your way here on your own. Your peace lingers here, adding to the faint traces of my own. It is that that I shall cling to. For it is your peace that now resides within me and it is that that shall guide me to you." With a shuddering gasp, he curled against the tree. "Hold on my love," he whispered, the first tear slipping down his cheek. "Hold on. We shall see each other soon, and be in each other's arms once again."

Uncurling from where he was, he stood once more and smiled faintly up at the tree. "You hold my tears and all the pain in my heart," he said solemnly. "You hold all that which I have never said to another soul."

His footsteps were soft as he stepped away from the tree and began to make his way to the garden's entrance. Curling his hand around the door's edge, he chanced one last glance over his shoulder and nodded once before allowing the doors to close.

~ ~ ~

She had long since given up in her efforts to call for help, her voice was hoarse and her hands were bruised from pounding on the door. Defeated, she curled on her side in the centre of the room. How could her own mother do this to her? Her mother whom she loved beyond all reason. Her mother who taught her to defend herself from an early age. Her mother whose arms she ran into without hesitation when she was afraid. Her mother who was her home.

"Why?" She asked softly, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears came. Her shoulders heaved as she wept and soon the sound of her cries filled the room.

The sound of the door opening barely caught her attention. "My darling?" It was her mother's voice that now spoke to her. It was her mother's voice that she had once found so comforting. It was her mother's voice that she now sought to get away from.

Scrambling to her feet, she put as much distance between herself and Scere as she could. With a tear streaked face, she met her mother's gaze and shook her head. "No," was all she said. "No."

"You must understand why I have been driven to do this," Scere continued, her voice soft.

Y/N regarded her mother with wide eyes. "Must understand?" She repeated. "I _must understand_ nothing. I only thing I seek to know is why you of all people, the one who knows me best and has always cared for and protected me, would do this." 

Scere sighed and crouched down before the younger woman. "If you seek to blame anyone my dear, let it be your father. Had he not agreed to marry you to that alien Lord, neither of us would be in this situation."

"Neither of us would be here if you had waited," Y/N shot back. "I was coming back, _you knew _that. And yet you took me anyway."

"We are unable to change the past," Scere said calmly. "But it is within our power to influence the future. That is why I had you brought home."

"What are you talking about?" Y/N asked warily.

"I may not have been able to prevent your father's actions," Scere explained and gestured behind her. "But I am able to make it right now."

At her mother's silent instruction, she was hauled to her feet and secured to the bed. Her struggles were in vain as the restraints were secured and the men stepped back. The restraints already began to tear at the skin of her wrists and ankles. "Mother," she whimpered as Scere sat on the bed beside her. "Why? I was happy."

"Hush now," Scere soothed and smoothed her daughter's hair. "Shhh."

"Mother," she continued to beg and plead. "Please don't do this. Please."

"You will see that this is for the best," Scere assured her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "And that is all I have ever wanted for you."

The pain started where he mother's hand rested. It speared through her and tore a guttural scream from her already raw throat. She arched against the restraints and shrieked in pain. Her mouth opened to let out the most pain-filled sounds ever to be heard. Tears flowed from her eyes as they opened and stared at nothing. Her hands were clenched into tight fists.

Her screams filled the room and filtered out into the hallways and corridors beyond. They carried through the manor above and greeted he who came for her. He who followed the sounds of her cries, even when they threatened to bring him to his knees.

Then came the cry of his name and he ran as he had never run before, spurred on by the pain and desperation in her voice. _"LOKI!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiríni = Peace  
Iremía = Calm
> 
> Both translated from Greek.


	17. Dearly beloved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up people! Dark and Jotun Loki ahead  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
The bitch had it coming, I am almost 100% certain you would all agree...

It was a massacre. Carnage followed in his wake as he ran. Those that saw him ran screaming, not that this helped them. Even those deployed to stop him trembled with fear. What they had only heard in stories and rumours was now a reality. The product of nightmares stalked toward them, eyes as red as the blood on his hands.

"There is no use in running," he told them as he neared them. "Nor in attempting to stop me." Stalking closer, he peered down at them with ruby red eyes. "Tell me where she is-" Fear clenched his heart as he heard her scream again.

It was closer than before.

With a small, discreet gesture, he sent Scere's men flying, caring little as they knocked into the walls and were impaled by the weapons of those already fallen. He had but one goal and he prayed he wasn't too late.

Weaving his way through the manor, he followed the horrid, blood curdling sounds of her distress and pain. His own men followed close behind.

The path to the manor's basement level was found through the mind of a guard who now lay unconscious. When her cries came again, he swore his heart stopped altogether. She sounded weaker than before. Her voice lacked the strength of before.

Catching himself to keep from stumbling, he looked ahead and saw it. He felt it. He felt her. He stood at the beginning of a long corridor that bore but one door. It was situated right at the end and oddly did not have any security detail guarding it.

Righting himself, Loki approached the door and lay his palm against it. He felt the expected resistance and sighed, irritated. With no small effort, he pushed past the ward and shouldered the door open.

The relief on her face was painful. Her head had turned at his entrance and her eyes drank in his image, as though he would disappear right before her eyes. Swallowing hard, she spoke, wincing as she did so. "Loki," this time there was no pain in her utterance of his name. There was but sweet relief. A soft rattling alerted him to the fact that she had tried to reach out to him, but the restraints prevented her from doing so.

His feet carried him to her.

"You came," she whispered, eyes meeting his own. "You came for me."

"Of course I came," he muttered, hands already moving to free her of the accursed restraints. His eyes however, soon locked onto the form of her mother.

Her mother who stood frozen in horror at the scene before her. Scere knew well what he was, yet she had never seen anything to substantiate those stories. To see that creature by her daughter's bed froze the blood in her veins. Those ruby red eyes looked straight at her and they bore within them a great fury. The deadly trance they trapped her in was only broken by the soft sound of her daughter's voice.

She did not quite hear what Y/N said to him, only that the moment the restraints were loosened, Y/N had thrown her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. They remained like that for some time.

As though on instinct, Loki felt his arms tighten around her. Her scent surrounded him and the feel of her in his arms was enough to steal the words from him. Looking up, he met Scere's gaze. The look in her eyes was one of horror, he could smell the fear that radiated off of her in waves. Just what had she done to her daughter to elicit those screams from her? He knew then and there that they would forever haunt him.

As one hand drew soft caresses through her hair, the other lifted slightly from where it had rested against her back. As his lips formed words of love and comfort, his mind spoke an ancient language. A language only known to a few.

Standing, he adjusted his hold on his wife and carried her as a cherished bride. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, her arms coming to rest in her lap.

"You cannot take her," Scere hissed, the shock of seeing his rumoured form having worn off. "This is her home."

Loki said nothing in the face of her venom. Spinning on his heels, he allowed the glamour to cover him once more. He did, however, spare one glance for the older woman, a glance that spoke of suffering to come and dark promises simply waiting to be fulfilled.

The journey back to the ship was one spent in silence. Y/N slept for the entire shuttle ride back, cradled close to him and wrapped in his moss green cloak. Loki himself could not take his eyes off of her. Save for the rawness of her wrists and ankles, she appeared physically well, and yet, there was something about her that had changed. It was something he did not know and it frightened him. For how was he to help her if he did not know? Would she even desire his help?

Rahl wisely kept silent for the duration of the journey, even so, Loki would sometimes catch his curious glance at the woman in his Lord's arms. The moment the shuttle landed in the newly repaired hangar bay and Rahl had opened the door for him, Loki stepped out and made straight for their chambers, Y/N fast asleep in his arms.

Minthe stepped out of the way just in time to avoid a head on collision with him. Looking to Rahl, she sought an explanation. The Captain shrugged. "He will tell us when he is ready," was the only explanation she received.

Spinning on her heels, she became one with the shadows and followed her Lord. It was rather obvious as to where he was headed. Slipping between the looming oak mahogany doors, she watched as he lay Y/N gently on the bed, smoothing her hair away from her face as he did so.

She watched as he sat beside her, taking one of her hands in his and holding it close to his heart. "Mea vita," he whispered, bringing the hand he held to his lips. "Mea vita."

In the shadows she watched and listened. He spoke in a language Minthe did not know, yet the tone was unmistakable. Looking to the door, she saw with dismay that it was closed and she would not be able to move without alerting him.

Gently letting go of Y/N's hand, Loki moved to lay beside her. He lay on his side, facing her. His eyes traced the form and shape of her and committed it to memory. It had taken him much too long to locate her, even with the information she had given him. "I will be here when you wake," he murmured, reaching out and lacing their hands together.

Minthe did not know how long she had waited. Was it minutes? Perhaps hours? It mattered not, for the moment she knew he was sound asleep, she slipped from the suite of rooms and back out into the corridor beyond.

Making her way to her own quarters, Minthe knew but one thing. They had failed. She needed to speak with her brother, she needed to see his face and hear his voice. Her jealousy was easily overridden by concern for her sibling as she made every effort to contact him, but every attempt was met with an eerie silence.

Scere, for her part, was furious. She was beyond livid. How dare that creature come into _her _home and steal her daughter away? Her sweet, precious little girl. She was a being of the light, of life and warmth and she deserved a life of security and happiness. A happiness that Scere knew that that alien would never be able to give her. She was her mother-

Her thoughts were cut through by the sound of screaming. Loud and guttural and filled with pain. Looking around, Scere saw only herself and the screaming had sounded so close. Clutching at her ears, she willed for it to fade away, but no such luck came. The screaming morphed into pleading. Desperate, broken pleading and it did not take her long to decipher whose voice that was.

Y/N's. Her beautiful daughter, crying out in agony. As a mother, these sounds tore at her heart. These sounds did not stop. Nor did they soften to any degree. They wrenched tears from Scere's eyes.

Was that monster harming her? Were they the sounds she now heard? Were they carrying over all the way from the ship? She should have fought harder to prevent him from taking her with him.

Then came three words. Three words that speared ice through Scere's heart. _"Mama, please stop-"_ a shrill cry of pain followed the words. Y/N had spoken those words many times since her unexpected return. Her lips had trembled and her eyes had swum with tears.

_"Mama, please!"_

Now she knew. Lord Loki's silent threat before he had departed. He had cursed her as he had carried her daughter away. Her precious-

_"Mother!" _

~ ~ ~

The sight her eyes first beheld was of the room she was in. A room she was familiar with.

It was then that she felt something upon her hand and she smiled upon seeing what it was. She was not alone, for beside her lay Loki, sound asleep. His mere presence chased away the demons that now wore the face of her mother. Watching him sleep brought her a peace she had not felt in quite some time.

She had little desire to return to her homeworld. It no longer held the appeal it once did. Sighing, she watched as her breath softly ruffled his hair.

"Thank you," she whispered, careful not to wake him. "If you had not come when you did-" she broke off and shuddered at the mere notion. It would not do to entertain such thoughts.

"You are most welcome, darling," came a soft voice.

Alarmed, she looked down and saw him smiling up at her. "Did I wake you?" She asked fearfully.

Chuckling, Loki shook his head and swept his hair away from his eyes. "No," he replied and reached up, taking their linked hands and bringing the back of hers to his lips, he brushed a soft kiss over her knuckles.

"Loki?" She asked softly, drawing his gaze to hers.

The relief that came with hearing her say his name was overwhelming. He knew what Scere had been planning, the information had been gleaned from her own men. Y/N still knew who he was, meaning her mother had been unsuccessful. "Y/N," he breathed against her lips, "my darling." The moment his lips touched hers, he knew completion.

The relief in him soon turned to confusion when Y/N drew away not even a minute later. There was a look of confusion in her eyes that bewildered him. "Loki?" She whispered, a nervous laugh bubbling up. "I know we are close but..."

In that moment he knew himself to be a fool. Her words and the look in her eyes could only mean one thing. "Close?" He repeated softly, looking to her for an explanation.

Y/N nodded and looked away, a delicate blush dusting her cheeks. "You are my best friend," she replied, still not meeting his gaze. "But you know that I love another. You remember that, don't you?" Finally she looked at him and by the fates he wished she didn't.

Her words had driven a knife into his heart. With cold certainty and painful clarity he knew that Scere had indeed succeeded. "You never spoke his name," he said, hoping fervently that his agony was not evident.

A soft, shy smile curved her lips. A smile she had only ever reserved for him. Now she wore it as she spoke a name that was not his. "Herelion, of course."

"Of course," he whispered and gently squeezed her hand before sparing her a smile before slipping from the room.

The moment the doors to the garden closed behind him, he fell to his knees and let forth a cry that came from the depths of his being. There were no tears. He would not shed tears over a lie. A manipulation. Scere had twisted her daughter's memories with the hopes of ridding him from her forever.

Looking down at his hands, he focused on the ring brand. "We are bound, you and I. I will not rest until the evil of your mother has been undone." Brave though the words may have been, he could not ignore ache in his heart and he knew it would only grow.


End file.
